I share it with you because I believe that the tragic events
of Dec 14 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut are just as
staggering.
20 children between the ages of 5 and 10 were gunned down in a callous, unthinkable murder – and for what – we may never know.
20 children between the ages of 5 and 10 were gunned down in a callous, unthinkable murder – and for what – we may never know.
BUT every parent of these 20 innocent little lives suffered their
own life altering, gut wrenching 9-11.
So I simply share this with you as we all grieve for these
families and the beautiful little lives take from them.The twin towers of the World Trade Center. The Pentagon.
Symbols of American strength and stability, taken out by terrorist attack. And the lives -- both those lost and those changed forever by the four homicidal jet crashes of September 11.
Through a network of connections that unite us as families and friends and acquaintances across this country, every one of us has been affected in some real way by the devastation of that day.
As Martin Luther
King once said so well, "We are caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects
one directly, affects all indirectly." And so we mourn -- mourn the
fatalities and the casualties, as well as our own loss of innocence. We have been attacked, and will never feel completely safe again.
AND In times like these
we ask questions – and it is ok to ask questions.
In fact we would not be the first to ask the hard questions
of God. And He would not be God, if we could not ask Him the hard questions.
And because we have a God in whom we can call ABBA, Father, because HE cares
for His own -
It's okay to ask
"Why?" Job did, even David did.
These were men of
God who were not afraid to talk with God and ask those hard questions.
Questions like…
Those from Job who cried: “I shout for help and there is not answer.”
Or, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him.” And, “I cry out
to You for help, but You do not answer…”
Or from David who
begged: “How long will you hide your face from me?” And he questioned aloud… “My God, my God why
have You forsaken me?”
David even asked
the question, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain
thing?”
And when we find ourselves in such a place we ask many of
the same questions. We may feel that God has forsaken this nation. When we
experience something of this magnitude, be it a personal crisis or a national
tragedy, our hearts cry out with questions. We cry out for help and listen for
an answer. We like David will ask, “Where are You God?”
We often feel that
maybe God isn’t listening. Maybe we feel the need to get angry, to point a
finger at God and blame. To accuse Him
But God listens. He lets His children ask the question that
stone and wood cannot answer.
I wish I had all the answers for you today, I wish I could
stand here today and tell you all the WHYS. I
don’t know, I too have asked the questions. I don’t have all the answers
I have a surprise for you though - Job never got the answers, no where in the
Book of Job did God answer the WHYS. But
Job knew, he knew where to turn – listen to the words of Job in chapter 42
– JOB 42:2-6
“I know
that You can do all things, And that no
purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who
is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that
which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask
You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard
of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and
ashes.”
New
American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Job 42:2–6). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
Job knew where to turn!
And in fact David did not even get answers and we may never know this side of heaven, the why or the how. FAMILIES DO NOT let that discourage you…
Because just as
David and Job knew with all their heart…
That even though they did not have all the answers – they
knew that God was all He promised. That God was the source of their strength.
That God was their comforter.
One of the questions we ask is often – “Now what?” Where do
we turn now, what do we do now?” Where do we turn from here? Well, there is
only one way to turn.
At a time like this
we turn to our knees. As someone has told me, “I go to my knees because I
remember that there is a God and I am not Him.
At a time like
this, we turn to the ground ... to the solid ground that is our creating,
redeeming, and sustaining Lord.
At a time like
this, we turn to the firmest of foundations, the mighty fortress that is our
God. It's the only place of any strength and stability.
At a time like this
we turn to our church family. The unity that bears one another’s burdens.
At a time like this we turn to the comfort and saving grace
found alone in Jesus Christ.
At a time like this
we turn to the very place Job and David knew to turn.
This morning take comfort in a word from God, that He does
tell us where to turn.
From Psalms 37:1-7 –
“Do not fret because
of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly
like the grass, And fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And
He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust
also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as
the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait
patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because
of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”
As the Psalmist
gives instruction:
Trust In the Lord - trust in Him and do the good and
honorable thing. To cultivate faithfulness in Him, that He knows what the
future holds. It is in this trust that
we as children of God exhibit a faith that others will see and know that God is
still God and even though we don’t have all the answers we have God. For so man
of us we take that for granted… I mean this… it is printed on our money but we
don’t believe it nor do it.
Now is the time that we need to turn and trust in Him.
Delight yourself in the Lord – doesn’t that seem like a
strange word for a time like this? But it really isn’t. What a joy it is to
know that in a time of national chaos that God is still beside you. Don’t
believe it?
Think of the miraculous stories of survivors. You want to
know where God is amidst this whole thing… Take delight in this… He was in the
strong hands of a police chief who rode the building down almost 85 stories and
lived, He was in the sweat and tears of thousands of volunteers. He is in the
blood bank as people selflessly give of themselves. He is in the Capital when
men and women pray… Take Delight in the fact that He still cares.
Now is the time that we turn and take joy in Him
Now is the
time that we turn our life and our ways to Him.
Rest in the Lord –
there is no better comfort when you are hurting, when you feel alone and
sad than to come and rest your head on Him.
He listens. He cares. He will cry with you and He will comfort you.
When you rest your mind and body, your heart and soul will
find comfort. Rest in Him and wait, because He cares for His own. There are
thousands who need physical rest today, but there are millions who need
spiritual rest.
Now is the time that we turn and rest in Him.
For several thousands of people – Wednesday never came. Some
I am sure had turned to Him already, but sadly some had not. Millions today are
given the opportunity to turn to Him, they may not have tomorrow but they have
today. You may not have ever turned to Him… but you can today.
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For 20 children, for
6 adults who were gunned down for no reason… Saturday never came. For their
families Christmas will come but it will never be the same. I pray that all of
this tragedy causes us all to stop and turn to the God who can and will comfort…
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