In the midst of EVERY storm, peace

Luke 24: 36-39  Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them “Peace to you.”  But they were terrified and frightened and supposed they had seen a spirit.  And He said to them “Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have Flesh and bones as you see I have.”

Peace our Lord and Savior assures us, is ours, and yet we run through our lives frantic and terrorized by every circumstance as far from peace as it is possible to be.  Christians, my brothers and sisters, PEACE, not as the world gives but according the creator of peace, the source of peace belongs to us.  It has been freely given to us and quite frankly the only way to lose it is to be defeated by deceit – lied to and tricked into believing that chaos reigns and has control.  Jesus Himself stands as our advocate and declares to us PEACE.  Will we believe Him or allow the terror of our own hearts to steal His truth from us.

Why are we troubled when we see the mayhem in this world?  Why do doubts arise in our hearts?  Why are we so frightened when He has promised us that we will have such troubles in this world?  We will be persecuted, we will be hated, nation will rise against nation and kingdom will rise against kingdom.  False prophets will rise up and they will deceive many.  Lies will be held up as truth and truth will be denied as a lie.

Behold, has He not told us in advance that these things will come to pass?  Has He not made Himself known?  Hasn’t He shown Himself trustworthy?  Don’t be frightened and don’t let terror keep you from enjoying His peace, his Joy and the freedom He paid so dear a price to give to you.  Just as He did for the disciples, He has done for us.  He assures us that no matter what is going on around us, no matter the wicked state of the world, no matter what our eyes see or our hearts tell us, His truth remains and can be trusted and believed.

Peace to you.  The Son of redemption has declared it and it is so.  Blessings to you my brothers and sisters.  Do not doubt.  Do not fear.  Hold fast to faith for He is faithful who has promised.  Keep in mind always that our lives in Him are Eternal and they are sure.  Recognize the Lord Jesus your Savior and know you are not alone.  Lift up your eyes and hearts to the His truth, that you may know His peace and receive by grace His deliverance.  Keeping in mind always that this world is not our home, just a place we pass through on our way to Our Father.

Sense from senselessness

When terrible things happen, and I don't know if it's the 24/7 news casts or the internet making information so much easier to obtain, but it seems like ever more terrible things keep happening on a random yet regular basis lately, many turn to the Lord with that ever lingering childish question

WHY?

Why did someone or a group of someone's set off bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon?  Was it related to the marathon in some way or just a random act of barbarism?  Why God, why?  We ask in frustration, we ask in shock, even if we recognize there is no single, understandable or reasonable answer.  

We live in a sinful, fallen world that is full of evil darkness and dastardly deeds done by people who may or may not even fully understand their own actions.  We most likely will never fully understand or get answers that make any true sense to these questions that haunt us when things like this happen.  Actions like these often shake our faith, cause us to question and wonder.  Is God truly in control?  If He is, then why are we subject to random actions that may end our lives or leave us crippled and maimed in an instant without rhyme or reason?  

There are no easy answers to any of our questions.  Neither is the answer a cliched "just have faith and trust God" attitude.  Yes, we must have faith and trust God.  But not without any understanding.  We understand that in this world there is an enemy.  An active enemy who knows he works best under cover of darkness, who prefers we don't even believe that he is there, because that allows him to move about more freely, wreaking havoc everywhere he goes.  There is a devil, an evil spiritual being who influences humans to behave in such horrible, sinful ways.  He instigates sinful actions, just as he deceived Eve and tricked Adam into sin, he still does so today.  It isn't that those who are hurt or killed have done any wrong or deserved in any way the treatment they've received, any more than any of us deserve the grace we receive either.  

Neither are we powerless pawns being batted back and forth between two super spiritual beings helplessly caught in a web between them.  We are created beings, loved unconditionally by the One who created us, subject, because of sin, to the evil actions of another created being, Satan by name, who knows that hurting us hurts the heart of God Himself.  Choosing to repent of sin, believing that Jesus PAID the full price for it on the cross and delivered us from it leads us to HOPE of Eternal Life with God.  It doesn't insulate us from random acts of violence but it does assure us that there is HOPE.  

When horrible tragedy strikes, I pray especially hard for those who don't know Christ, because they have nothing to help them make sense out of the senseless actions of others that cause such devastation.  When terrible tragedy occurs the believer in God can ultimately find comfort in knowing that God works all things together for GOOD for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)  Not everything that happens is good, but He turns it to our good in some way, some manner.  

We cannot explain evil, though we witness it and are affected by it in our daily lives.  By faith and prayer we can combat it.  Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by the bomb blasts in Boston yesterday.  May the God of all peace the Father of our Lord Jesus give each and everyone of them peace with Him, comfort in their hearts, and may His love surround them and cushion them in the days ahead.  I pray that those in the hospital will recover fully and swiftly beyond medical abilities.  I pray the families of those who lost their lives will find grace and mercy in their mourning.  I pray those who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior will be drawn to Him by these events and discover the Love of God through the Cross of Christ to the end they repent and receive the gift of salvation, in the name of Jesus the Lord, Amen.