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“This
is what the Lord – All Powerful says: Do what is right and true. Be kind and
merciful to each other” – Zechariah 7:9
Whether you are 15 or 50 it is likely that you have had some
form of tragic event happen in your life, which was well beyond your capability
to handle. Be it the death of a loved one, a friend or colleague. Or
perhaps you lost something of value like a home, heir loom or a sentimental
possession. Desperation can set in which often leads to fear, anger and
depression over time. If it hasn’t happened to you, praise God for His
mercies in your life. Perhaps you know someone that has been through a
tragic event in their life.
How do you react when someone comes to you with news of a tragic event? It is often those circumstances that are beyond the explainable and will often times lead individuals away from God the Father. For as much as we are confident and strong in the faith of our Lord and Savior, the sheer essence of our human characteristic will lead us to want answers, even when there aren’t any. You can pick up the newspaper or go to CNN.com or your favorite news channel and see a plethora of tragic events that happen every day for no real reason. As emotions then play out the typical response is to focus on God as the only one who could have stopped it from happening. With knowledge of His sovereignty we realize that all things are within His control. The assumption that we often jump to, is that God could have stopped it but chose to allow this tragedy to take place.
Of course, this leads to the misconception that God must not love us or He wouldn’t have allowed it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have found that words are fleeting in times like these, when a friend comes to me looking for help. The reality of it is, there is nothing I can say or do that will make it all better, so I have discovered that sometimes the best thing to do is say nothing at all. Sometimes it’s just best to love them and hold them through it. It’s important to continually emphasize that God is immutable, unchangeable and full of love for all mankind. His redeeming grace, evidenced throughout the scriptures, testifies to His desire for us to spend eternity with Him.
In these circumstances it is so easy to take our eye off of God and focus on our own internal pain and agony. When faced with situations of being there for your friends in these circumstances, try not to get in the way of the Holy Spirit. He has that intimate knowledge of the Father and the compassion of Jesus Christ enabled through you to influence those in need. So many times we try to act on God’s behalf and justify why something might have happened, when all the other person needs is someone to hold their hand and listen. Just as Jesus had compassion for others throughout the New Testament, so should we be quick with compassion for our fellow man, “Just love ‘em like Jesus”
PRAYER:
Dear Father,
Let me show love and compassion to others when tragedy should be-fall one of them. Help me to demonstrate Your peace, mercy and love so that they might see You through me. Amen
How do you react when someone comes to you with news of a tragic event? It is often those circumstances that are beyond the explainable and will often times lead individuals away from God the Father. For as much as we are confident and strong in the faith of our Lord and Savior, the sheer essence of our human characteristic will lead us to want answers, even when there aren’t any. You can pick up the newspaper or go to CNN.com or your favorite news channel and see a plethora of tragic events that happen every day for no real reason. As emotions then play out the typical response is to focus on God as the only one who could have stopped it from happening. With knowledge of His sovereignty we realize that all things are within His control. The assumption that we often jump to, is that God could have stopped it but chose to allow this tragedy to take place.
Of course, this leads to the misconception that God must not love us or He wouldn’t have allowed it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have found that words are fleeting in times like these, when a friend comes to me looking for help. The reality of it is, there is nothing I can say or do that will make it all better, so I have discovered that sometimes the best thing to do is say nothing at all. Sometimes it’s just best to love them and hold them through it. It’s important to continually emphasize that God is immutable, unchangeable and full of love for all mankind. His redeeming grace, evidenced throughout the scriptures, testifies to His desire for us to spend eternity with Him.
In these circumstances it is so easy to take our eye off of God and focus on our own internal pain and agony. When faced with situations of being there for your friends in these circumstances, try not to get in the way of the Holy Spirit. He has that intimate knowledge of the Father and the compassion of Jesus Christ enabled through you to influence those in need. So many times we try to act on God’s behalf and justify why something might have happened, when all the other person needs is someone to hold their hand and listen. Just as Jesus had compassion for others throughout the New Testament, so should we be quick with compassion for our fellow man, “Just love ‘em like Jesus”
PRAYER:
Dear Father,
Let me show love and compassion to others when tragedy should be-fall one of them. Help me to demonstrate Your peace, mercy and love so that they might see You through me. Amen
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I understand that things happen for a reason, God's goodness must be different than ours, that God's timeline is different than ours, that God's sense of fairness is not the same as ours. That is how I sort it out when I read about tragic events in the news. We don't see it, but it is part of His plan. I can sort it out in my mind, but how would you explain it to someone else?
ReplyDeleteThere are some things we can never explain to someone else. Why did so and so get cancer? Why did she have an affair? I believe that God's miracles happen still today, when they are for His benefit. I have to keep reminding myself that the only purpose for this life is to serve and worship Him. We were not created for any other purpose. The flesh and bones are simply a structure to support our soul on this earth. The reality is that every one of us will die, it's a proven fact, and in doing so we will lose our earthly presence and step into the presence of the Almighty. In that moment, and only in that moment will we find true peace and love. Everything we experience leading up to that moment will pale in comparison to feeling the embrace of my Heavenly Father. I try to help people focus on the eternal picture and less on the day to day roller coaster. Life will have it's valleys, but we should stay focused on the end result. Be blessed my friend.
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