tragedy |ˈtrajidē|noun| an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe
I wrestled with such a post. It’s all too real. We’re just past 24 hours from hearing the news of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. This is my home. This is my state. These are my friends. I cannot listen to the news without tears coming to my eyes. I cannot help but think of the friends I texted early Friday morning to make sure they were ok. Some were at the midnight movie, others were telling me of their family members that were there. If I were to write anything about this, what would I write? I’m just still prayerfully trying to process it all.
I believe that God has a very sweet message for each of us in through this heartbreaking event. Are you listening? It is a message of comfort, of peace, and hope. Do you hear it?
Isaiah 51:12-16 NKJV
2 “I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid
Of a man who will die,
And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?
13 And you forget the Lord your Maker,
Who stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth;
You have feared continually every day
Because of the fury of the oppressor,
When he has prepared to destroy.
And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,
That he should not die in the pit,
And that his bread should not fail.
15 But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16 And I have put My words in your mouth;
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
I am His! The Lord is God! He is my comfort! I am reading through a Psalms every day in my quiet times with the Lord. I was on chapter 35 Thursday, so naturally, I found myself in chapter 36 on Friday, the day of the shooting. I wrote the date in my Bible because it was so clear that God set aside this chapter for me, for this day in time. It is titled in my Bible,
“Man’s wickedness and God’s perfections.”
Psalm 36 NKJV
“An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not abhor evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.”
God does not cause sin. He does not cause wickedness. Wickedness is a result of the sinful state of our world. Wickedness in this world is not God’s judgement. God’s judgment of sin was poured out on his Son, as He took on the sins of the world, yours and mine, on the cross. The punishment for sin is death. He died in our place, taking our punishment. He gave us a beautiful gift, and that is CHOICE. He wants our sincere love in return. He already suffered for us, so that we can know Him. We can choose to accept His forgiveness for our sin, or we can live a life, and an eternity to come, apart from Him.
He is merciful, He is loving, he is GOOD. He is comfort, He is hope, He is peace. He wants your trust and mine. He wants your fears, your hurt, your heart ache. He is the mender of the broken hearted and the only healer of all of our emotional scars.
Run to HIM!
Jesus said:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV
He overcame the world when He died for the world He loved.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV
Father, I pray for the pain and the hurt that is so heavy in this city. I pray that for all those suffering right now, that you would reveal to them your lovingkindness, which you tell us leads to repentance. I pray they will come to know you and accept your grace through Jesus.
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