Colorado
has once again been thrown into our nation’s spotlight, by the shooting of
innocent men, women, and children at a movie theater. The prince of darkness
has reared his ugly head once again and lives have been changed forever.
My
thoughts and prayers are with all who were impacted by this tragic event. Those
who will relive the nightmare over and over and those who will go on living
without their loved ones.
I’m
certain you’ve seen interviews or read articles on how to deal with the
emotions of such events. I heard several yesterday. But for me, it all comes
back to my faith in God and how He is able to give comfort in times of trouble.
We
know there will be trouble in this world. Jesus said there would be. But Jesus
shares hope as well. John 16:33 (NIV) says, “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.”
We
can count on peace. And oh yes, Jesus has overcome the evil one. Satan may have
control of this world, but he does not have victory over me or Jesus.
1
John 4:4 assures us, “You, dear children,
are from God and have overcome them [spirits], because the one who is in you is
greater than the one who is in the world.”
My
victory is in Jesus. My faith is in God. And God’s Spirit is greater than any
of this world.
I’ve
chosen to pull a piece of a blog post that I wrote several weeks ago. The title
of the blog post was “Let Faith Arise.” I wrote of a dark period in my life and
I believe it is fitting for today. I pray that God will touch your heart
through these words, through His Spirit, and through your own faith.
~~~~~
I
recall a time last year that was dark for me. I complained to God. He answered.
I shared my despair with Him. He answered. Unfortunately, they weren’t the
answers that I wanted.
Then
came the moment when I surrendered my complaints and allowed my faith to take over.
A
week into this dark period, I stood in a worship service. We sang a fairly new
song. These are the words to the chorus.
“I lift my hands to believe again,
You are my refuge, you are my
strength.
As I pour out my heart, these things
I remember;
You are faithful God forever.”[i]
In
that moment, my faith in God brought me to the point where I could get through
the situation.
But
here’s the thing. I had to say it out loud. Sing it for others to hear. Profess
that God was my refuge and my strength.
I
also had to physically do something. I lifted my hands.
And
then I believed again.
Oh,
I have poured out my heart to God. Over and over again. But in the end, God’s
faithfulness far overshadowed my complaints. God’s faithfulness stands forever.
When my faith waivers, His faithfulness is rock solid.
Grace
and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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