in light of today's terrible, horrific shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school, i quote the verses i read today:
"I love the Lord, for He heard my voice;
He heard my cry for mercy.
Because He turned His ear to me,
I will call on Him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, He saved me.
Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
I believed; therefore I said,
'I am greatly afflicted.'
And in my dismay I said,
'All men are liars.'
How can I repay the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of His people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His saints.
... Praise the Lord."
Psalm 116:1-15, 19b
maybe this doesn't sound like the right set of verses to you... 'praise the Lord??' 'all His goodness?' 'be at rest?' 'the Lord protects the simplehearted?' 'the Lord has been good to you???' it's wrong! all wrong!!! surely this can't apply TODAY with children dying at the hands of a crazed gunman!
but wait. think of the deeper current running through these verses. these quotes don't come from David's (the author) circumstances. David is the one who was hunted down for years by the king of the land, Saul. David hid in caves in the wilderness for decades, just trying to stay alive. he knew anguish, he had people die around him, he felt the pain of betrayal, he knew the fear of being pursued.
but he was praising God anyway!
how does this happen?
yesterday i almost got a parking ticket. i just about lost it. i thought we were going to have to pay about double our entire monthly rate, just for not having the tag hanging in the window one night!! i was mad at the city, mad at the car, despairing that i have no money for this kind of thing, frustrated that i shop at the dollar store trying to save and then have to blow it on one dumb parking ticket! i could barely stand to read words of praise in my Bible that day... i was so upset!
all over a parking ticket.
needless to say, i have no way of understanding the terror, horror, anguish, pain, anger, the sheer despair of losing a child or loved one in a nightmare like today's in Connecticut.
the psalmist, David, in his deepest despair, in the midst of 'the grave, death, trouble and sorrow,' cries out to God, 'O LORD, SAVE ME!' and then he praised God for doing just that: saving him.
but you say, 'God didn't save these kids today! they died! He didn't save their lives!' it's true that He allowed this thing to happen. He allowed evil to occur.
BUT when it comes to those who have earnestly cried out to God, 'O LORD, SAVE ME,' nothing can touch them. nothing. anyone who belongs to Jesus cannot be touched by Satan. their bodies may be harmed and ill and wounded, and they may even DIE, but Satan cannot touch their souls!
"For You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death." vs 8
God allows people to make choices. and He even allows evil choices to affect other innocent bystanders. the world is fallen. every human living on this planet has done something wrong, even if it was just one sin. for most of us, it's been a whole countless debacle of sinning! but when we honestly repent of those sins, turn around and walk towards God, He forgives us and SAVES OUR SOULS! after that, barring you throw your own salvation away and reject Christ, your soul will NEVER be touched by Satan again. THAT'S something to praise God about. David wasn't happy about his circumstances, and praising God didn't mean that he didn't acknowledge his deep pain. it just meant that he chose to lean on God in the midst of it. if you know God, then you know He wins in the end.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever.
'what can man do to me?' nothing.
nothing at all.
he may kill me, but he cannot touch my soul, if i belong to Jesus Christ.
there is tragedy in the world, there is horror. but there is also HOPE. hope that shines like a bright spotlight into your life and mine.
when you look at a shooting like today's, i hope it causes you to think about your own soul's safety. is your soul protected by Jesus?
"I love the Lord, for He heard my voice;
He heard my cry for mercy.
Because He turned His ear to me,
I will call on Him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
'O LORD, SAVE ME!'
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, He saved me.
Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
I believed; therefore I said,
'I am greatly afflicted.'
And in my dismay I said,
'All men are liars.'
How can I repay the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of His people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His saints.
... Praise the Lord."
Psalm 116:1-15, 19b
maybe this doesn't sound like the right set of verses to you... 'praise the Lord??' 'all His goodness?' 'be at rest?' 'the Lord protects the simplehearted?' 'the Lord has been good to you???' it's wrong! all wrong!!! surely this can't apply TODAY with children dying at the hands of a crazed gunman!
but wait. think of the deeper current running through these verses. these quotes don't come from David's (the author) circumstances. David is the one who was hunted down for years by the king of the land, Saul. David hid in caves in the wilderness for decades, just trying to stay alive. he knew anguish, he had people die around him, he felt the pain of betrayal, he knew the fear of being pursued.
but he was praising God anyway!
how does this happen?
yesterday i almost got a parking ticket. i just about lost it. i thought we were going to have to pay about double our entire monthly rate, just for not having the tag hanging in the window one night!! i was mad at the city, mad at the car, despairing that i have no money for this kind of thing, frustrated that i shop at the dollar store trying to save and then have to blow it on one dumb parking ticket! i could barely stand to read words of praise in my Bible that day... i was so upset!
all over a parking ticket.
needless to say, i have no way of understanding the terror, horror, anguish, pain, anger, the sheer despair of losing a child or loved one in a nightmare like today's in Connecticut.
the psalmist, David, in his deepest despair, in the midst of 'the grave, death, trouble and sorrow,' cries out to God, 'O LORD, SAVE ME!' and then he praised God for doing just that: saving him.
but you say, 'God didn't save these kids today! they died! He didn't save their lives!' it's true that He allowed this thing to happen. He allowed evil to occur.
BUT when it comes to those who have earnestly cried out to God, 'O LORD, SAVE ME,' nothing can touch them. nothing. anyone who belongs to Jesus cannot be touched by Satan. their bodies may be harmed and ill and wounded, and they may even DIE, but Satan cannot touch their souls!
"For You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death." vs 8
God allows people to make choices. and He even allows evil choices to affect other innocent bystanders. the world is fallen. every human living on this planet has done something wrong, even if it was just one sin. for most of us, it's been a whole countless debacle of sinning! but when we honestly repent of those sins, turn around and walk towards God, He forgives us and SAVES OUR SOULS! after that, barring you throw your own salvation away and reject Christ, your soul will NEVER be touched by Satan again. THAT'S something to praise God about. David wasn't happy about his circumstances, and praising God didn't mean that he didn't acknowledge his deep pain. it just meant that he chose to lean on God in the midst of it. if you know God, then you know He wins in the end.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever.
Let those who fear the Lord say:
'His love endures forever.'
In my anguish I cried to the Lord,
and He answered by setting me free.
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is with me; He is my helper.
I will look in triumph on my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes."
Psalm 118:1, 4-9
'what can man do to me?' nothing.
nothing at all.
he may kill me, but he cannot touch my soul, if i belong to Jesus Christ.
there is tragedy in the world, there is horror. but there is also HOPE. hope that shines like a bright spotlight into your life and mine.
when you look at a shooting like today's, i hope it causes you to think about your own soul's safety. is your soul protected by Jesus?
How tragic this happening is? And how true these words are. I am protected! Well done.
ReplyDelete