Anger churns until my stomach is in knots. Reality, in form of fantasy- a gunman lauding himself as “The Joker”, shot and ultimately killed 12 people in a movie theater, while 11 more are listed in critical condition and yet another 30 were injured! An isolated incident? Just look at the headlines or listen to the news if you can stomach it for long! School shootings, abducted children, and unthinkable things reported upon daily. Yearly, there are millions of children bought and sold into slave and sex trafficking! Terrorists have sunk low enough to “use” children, women, and people with downs syndrome as human bombs! Ethnic cleansing is rampant, hatred growing into a palpable force: EVIL IS Alive and well PLANET EARTH.
I’ve said I believe there is a surprising treasure God hides in the difficulties and disappointments of life. I believe He can give us beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning
but there is no treasure to be found in the EVIL that manifests itself in manifold ways-
Where lies our hope?
Our hope does not come from fantasy comic book heroes! Laws alone cannot arrest evil- for evil is a force that possesses sick minds and hateful hearts.
Our only hope for deliverance comes from the King of Kings.
In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to God as our Father! Now is not the time to say, Where was God? Why didn’t He stop this madman? We don’t know God’s timetable but we know He has told us to pray that His kingdom will come and His will be done. We don’t know why He holds back His judgement on evil but we can be sure that He will vanquish evil with a mighty blow! Until then, we are to flee evil, pray to be delivered from evil, fight evil, and abstain from anything evil.
Jesus taught us this prayer:
OUR FATHER- WHO LIVES IN HEAVEN-
HOLY IS YOUR NAME! YOUR KINGDOM COME-
MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE- ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
GIVE US THIS DAY, OUR DAILY BREAD,
AND FORGIVE US OUR SINS AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US-
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL
FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER! AMEN!
Please pray with me for all those suffering- as Nicole Mullins sings this song- Let Your Kingdom Come
This is my only hope- that One day- our Good, all Loving, and perfectly JUST God will deal Evil its final blow- and it shall live no more! It’s His promise! Maranantha!
Last evening over dinner Cindy and I told Josh, Moriah, and Bethany (our children still at home) that we were resolving to be more faithful in praying for their safety and the saftety of others in public places. I take note, as I begin my morning devotions that Genesis 6:11 adds insight to the direction that man’s wickedness and evil imagination (Genesis 6:5) carried him. “The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence,” (Genesis 6:11). I have always thought it insightful that the Holy Spirit focused on violence being one of the reasons for the flood. May God not just have mercy on this generation, but may we repent of the terrible ways we entertain ourselves and may the Lord grant us a break-out revival!
Amen! Why do we think we can passively watch violence and not be affected by it?
Amen! God grant that broken hearts will be the turning point for worldwide revival, reformation and renewal. “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven!”
What a complete mess “we’ve” made in our own little kingdoms trying to run things our way- poverty, economic collapse, riots, wars, etc. How unbelievably glorious when His kingdom comes to earth!! And His Kingdom will know no end!