The above title of my post and headline, according to FB, was in a NYC daily newspaper. I read it two nights ago before bed. Mistake. I am a thinker and I don't need to be thinking right before bedtime. And, the Packers were losing again so there wasn't much of a distraction. The headline really bothered me. It showed pictures of four well known Christian conservatives and quotes of them saying how they would pray for survivors of those horrific acts of violence.
I couldn't help but think how empty those words must be to those who have lost loved ones recently. Especially if those individuals did not have a foundation of faith in God. And Jesus. Those things trouble me. I ponder these things. Life is short. There are no guarantees. A good family friend buried his father this week. He was only 61. I saw a lady at Target on Saturday. She buried her 14 year old daughter in February. It has been a year since my husband's shift partner was killed. I could go on.
Where is God in all of this? I am not a theologian by any stretch. So when I ponder these things it is on a purely homeschooling, wife, mother just trying to get the laundry done perspective. But, I ponder with heart and soul and with all of my being for answers. The beauty of it is, my God, the creator of Heaven and Earth is so much bigger than all my questions and always shows up to comfort me. To let me know He is here. In the midst of all the chaos. Big and little.
The answer I got this morning, as I pondered why isn't God fixing this, was in my quiet time. I am reading through Romans. Our pastor challenged us that if we want true heart change it has to begin with a constant input of the word of God. We fill our minds and hearts constantly with Fox News and CNN. But that isn't truth. Truth comes by the reading and hearing of the word of God. And viewing the world around me through that lens. A worldview. Everyone has one.
The truth spoken to me this morning was this:
Romans 10:21-"All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people." He wants a relationship with us. He desires to be with us and inhabit our hearts. But, as a nation we have turned our backs on God. I won't go into detail about the many ways we have taken God's commands and trampled on them. How we have turned against the love He so freely gives. We don't love and honor Him. And we sure don't love and honor each other. But, we expect Him to "show up" and fix the problems we have created by our sinfulness. We want the blessings and protection of God but we don't want to give up our freedoms and selfish desires. We don't want to give up our "rights" and we want to be able to give our opinions. When I get those feelings I go back to the Cross. What if Jesus, on His day of crucifixion, instead of saying "not my will but Yours be done", said heck with this I am living for me. There truly would be no "fixing this." No hope. Ever. For eternity.
As believers in Christ we are called to Romans 10:15 "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace." And as followers of Christ I am not sure we are doing that either. In Matthew we are called to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and body. And to love others as ourselves. The 10 Commandments boiled down to those two. As Christians, we need to live those two commandments loud and clear.
I am sure God's heart is breaking. He gives us the answer. The answer is Jesus. But, are we willing to accept it, believe it and trust it? As a nation, I don't know. It boils down to a choice that each living human being has to make. It is up to each one of us to accept the challenge of trusting and excepting the truth of Christ. And then living a sold out faith in Christ. God has chosen to help us by making us, human beings, the conduit of His love. Until we accept that and embrace it as a world, I am not sure how much fixing there will be. But, I do know this. Some day this world will burn away. And Christ will come back riding on the clouds. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is King. Then it will be fixed for good. Hallelujah, what a glorious day that will be . . .
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