Tribute
Some might ask, “Why are we not spared of pain as Christians? What does God’s word say to us in that regard? I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT). In this world we will go through hardships, but Jesus promised to be with us through them.
December 7, is remembered as, [1]“The day that will live in infamy” these were the words spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. It would be many years before any attack could come close to mirroring what took place that fateful day on December 7, 1941.
This was a pain our grandparents carried with them. They had to come to a place where they laid down that pain and loss, but to many of the generations following, it was a distant experience.
For over fifty years no one attacked our land until 1995 with the Oklahoma City bombing. It was heart wrenching watching the effects of an implosion from within, an attack by one of our own. I remember watching teary-eyed as a baby was brought out of the rubble of the bombed capital building. The pain came close just by observation.
Many times when we go through a tragedy, it engulfs us, overwhelms us, we isolate ourselves, and at times it feels like the pain will never go away. Please remember that this pain is only temporary, not perpetual. How many times have we thought we were alone, abandoned, without anyone in this world, only to realize that God was near. May this excerpt from “Tribute” encourage you:
*May the Lord cup your face in his hands and
Look deeply into your eyes that the pain and anguish
Be extracted by the touch of a holy and caring God.
We go through tragedies, but how do we handle them? What should we do? Pray, read God’s word, keep your mind on the Lord and give the heaviness that weighs you to Jesus and stay connected to God’s people. Jesus paid the price for all our heartache that would ever come into our lives.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3, NLT)
The attack of the Twin Towers on 9/11/01, the Pentagon, and the loss of life on [2]AA Flight 11, UA Flight 175, AA Flight 77 and UA Flight 93 brought tragedy up close and personal. When it took place, it was difficult to find peace, hard to figure out what was going on, but those who called upon the Lord were able to find true comfort and healing.
God’s Word becomes so real to us when we take the time to read the Scriptures such as:
· So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10, NIV)
· Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV)
There is no tragedy, hardship, disappointment, attack, loss, loss of loved ones, violation that God cannot bring us through. He is our strength and our help in our time of trouble. There has never been a tragedy that God has not been able to bring someone through to the place of healing and restoration. Can you image being in the place that you are so thoroughly healed that God uses you to minister to others in those same areas of hurt?
*May the depth of your healing so exceed the pain
You once exerienced that you may heal others
Who have suffered so profound a loss. .
The issue is not will God heal us, but will we allow him to touch our heart and heal our pain?
*Excerpt from “Tribute,” available in the e-book I Choose You: A Poetic Journey, available on Amazon.com or BN.com.
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