'The Light of the Lord Is Shining': Powerful Posts from Kathie Lee Gifford, TobyMac and Others After Deadly Tornado

Andrea Morris
03-04-2020

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After a deadly tornado ripped through Nashville on Tuesday, top Christian entertainers and music artists posted updates and prayer requests on social media. 

Nashville is a central hub of the Christian music industry, and many artists shared their stories of the devastation within their communities and the hope of recovery through prayer and unity.

"'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you' - " wrote Grammy-award winning worship leader Chris Tomlin.

"Praying over the city of Nashville today and remembering that God calls us to love our neighbors...those who have lost or are hurting," Tomlin continued.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) - Praying over the city of Nashville today and remembering that God calls us to love our neighbors.. those who have lost or are hurting... #WorshipIsAJourney #PrayersForNashville #Nashville #nashvilletornado2020

A post shared by Chris Tomlin (@christomlin) on

Author and singer Kathie Lee Gifford tweeted, "Sending love and prayers to everyone who was affected by the tornado in Tennessee.  #NashvilleStrong." 

"I just know from personal experiences that even in the darkest darkest times the light of the Lord is shining," Gifford said in a video. "And if you can hold onto that, if you can look to the light and know that He sees you, He loves you, and He will get you through this."

OPERATION BLESSING is on the ground to provide disaster relief in Tennessee. Click Here to Help.

Iconic contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman tweeted, "Lifting up many prayers for our Nashville community."

He continued by citing a powerful verse about God's comfort: "Please continue to pray for comfort & peace for those who have been deeply affected. 'The LORD is near to the brokenhearted & saves the crushed in spirit' "

Singer-songwriter Ellie Holcomb was home during the storm when the tornado tore through her neighborhood.

"I was home alone with our 3 kids and woke up to our house shaking. Spent a few hours in the basement with sweet neighbors, and the sun came up today, revealing just how bad the damage was."

"Our hearts are grateful for breath in our lungs, but heavy for all the lives, homes, and businesses lost," Holcomb continued. "In the same breath, the sun came up today and there was a community rising up strong from a terrible storm, hands and feet showing up with love and chainsaws and water and food. I've never been more scared in my life, but I've also never been more sure that there is comfort and hope to be broken and shared with one another in the wake of a tragedy."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Nashville has been hit hard. A tornado tore through many of our neighborhoods last night causing unbelievable damage across our city. We are heartbroken and last night was so scary. I was home alone with our 3 kids and woke up to our house shaking . Spent a few hours in the basement with sweet neighbors, and the sun came up today , revealing just how bad the damage was. Our hearts are grateful for breath in our lungs, but heavy for all the lives, homes, and businesses lost. In the same breath, the sun came up today and there was a community rising up strong from a terrible storm, hands and feet showing up with love and chainsaws and water and food. I’ve never been more scared in my life , but I’ve also never been more sure that there is comfort and hope to be broken and shared with one another in the wake of a tragedy. Aching with all who lost so much today, grateful for another day to live, and so honored to see “the helpers” , like Mr Rogers reminds us all to look for. They showed up strong today in our neighborhood, and across our city. These pictures are all taken by dif friends of ours, just blocks from our home. See the link in this bio to learn how to be a helper in this sad season for our dear city. Grateful too, for @drewholcombmusic who was on the phone all last night taking roll call with our people, and who got on the absolute earliest flight back home to come be a helper too. Hug your people tight tonight, y’all , and take a deep breath of gratitude for another day, no matter how messy it may be.

A post shared by Ellie Holcomb (@ellieholcomb) on

Rapper TobyMac wrote on Instagram calling the church to rise up and show the love of God: "I have lived in Nashville my entire adult life. I love it. It's a big city with a friendly nature. People will love well here. Lets love God with all our hearts by loving our neighbors as ourselves."

Worship singer-songwriter Kari Jobe wrote about the overwhelming devastation to Nashville and shared information on available resources for those in need of assistance.

"My city. So devastated for so many friends and business owners today. If you're in need of help - our church @thebelongingco is here for you."

Jobe's church, The Belonging Co. gathered on Tuesday night to pray for the community. The church encouraged residents to rally together and help rebuild Nashville. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Nashville experienced its most deadly tornado on record Monday night. While much of the city remained untouched, the areas that were hit were decimated, and people’s lives have been forever changed. As the church, we have an incredible opportunity to step up and join the many thousands of people who are rallying together here in Nashville - and from around the world - to help people rebuild the lives that have been affected by this devastation. Firstly, if you have been affected, then please reach out to our team - we would love to help however we are able. You can text TBCORELIEF to 97000 and someone from our team will connect with you as soon as we can! Secondly, for those not directly in need, there’s several things you can do to help: 1) GIVE Last night @thebelongingconashville, we took up a special offering that will go directly to help people who have been affected by the tornadoes. Join us and be generous as we give to those in need. You can give by texting TBCOGIVE to 97000, and select “Disaster Relief” from the dropdown menu 2) SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER Over the coming weeks, there will be great need for practical help as people begin to rebuild. Right now we are collating names and info of people who would be willing to help. You can sign up by texting TBCORELIEF to 97000 3) DON’T FORGET For many of us, as the media coverage fades, so too will our focus on this issue. But for those who have been affected, this will be a journey that will take weeks and months... let’s continue to walk the journey with people, and help wherever we can #nashville #nashvilletornado2020 #wearenashville2020 #nashvillestrong #thebelongingco

A post shared by The Belonging Co (@thebelongingco) on

Grammy winner Michael W Smith posted a pic of his family preparing food for disaster relief workers, saying, "So grateful for my family here…Much of the family here packing lunches for all the volunteers that will hit the ground running in the morning…Disaster relief here in a devastated Nashville and middle Tennessee. But we are Nashville strong! …Let the church rise up. And we did all this on Deb's birthday…Blessed beyond measure." 

Country music legend Dolly Parton tweeted that her heart is with the families who suffered loss during the storm.

"Praying for all those affected by the devastating storms in Tennessee and my heart is especially with the families who lost loved ones. We are all with you." 

Grammy Award-winning band For King and Country wrote that it was stunning to see so much of Nashville destroyed by the storm.

"Be praying for our community as it's been shocking to see all the devastation this morning." 

Christian band Tenth Avenue North wrote on Instagram, "We're all a bit stunned as we all live in East Nashville, and felt the windows shaking last night, but relieved to report we're all ok and our houses are good." 

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declared a state of emergency as many residents ware still without electricity and basic needs.

OPERATION BLESSING is on the ground to provide disaster relief in Tennessee. Click Here to Help.

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About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.
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