- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
How long, O Lord? [Additional thoughts here]
"Twenty-seven people, including 20 children, are dead after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Another person was found dead at 36 Yogananda St. in Newtown, sources told The Courant. The shootings at the school took place in two rooms, one of which is a kindergarten classroom, sources said. One entire classroom is unaccounted for."
Evil against children has always been in the world.
"Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live." (Exodus 1:15)
But God heard Israel's groaning--
"During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew." (Exodus 2:23-25)
Evil is still in the world.
"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:16-18)
But God hears their groaning and He sends a Comforter--
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.' (John 16:7)
"Twenty-seven people, including 20 children, are dead after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Another person was found dead at 36 Yogananda St. in Newtown, sources told The Courant. The shootings at the school took place in two rooms, one of which is a kindergarten classroom, sources said. One entire classroom is unaccounted for."Evil against children has always been in the world.
"Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live." (Exodus 1:15)
But God heard Israel's groaning--
"During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew." (Exodus 2:23-25)
Evil is still in the world.
"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:16-18)
But God hears their groaning and He sends a Comforter--
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.' (John 16:7)
Been studying the Holocaust and then you see daily headlines like these and it can cause one to long for God's wisdom and insight as to why these things are allowed to happen. I don't understand how He can still be seen as merciful.
ReplyDeleteJesus wasn't the one pulling the trigger. Of course He's merciful. He left heaven to live a full life among us putrid sinners, among those like Herod who sought to kill HIM, and among the Pharisees who sought to kill HIM, and then was eventually massacred himself for our sins so that we could leave earth and go live with Him in heaven. You don't see that as merciful?
DeleteAs to not being able to see the mercy of God.
ReplyDeleteIt is because blinded people expect a *supposed* (in their view, not mine) being with *supposed* (again in their view) powers to make everything perfect, yet not be allowed His due, denying that such a being would surely thus be the most powerful, as well as being the most wise, to know what would make life perfect, and thus He must be supreme. And they could say "no, it doesn't mean we want perfection", all they want, but that is a lie, because they want a life free from all that they see as being wrong/bad, thus that does mean a perfect life. Think about it naysayers.
They are just wanting to take advantage, free and clear, of such a supreme being, who thus has the ability to smote them, yet they think 1.He shouldn't 2.That they should be rulers themselves, over their own personage, and over others if they will it. Thus any such supreme being, despite their power which exceeds theirs, to not abide by their will, is a merciless tyrant.
Violence on earth doesn't equate a merciless God. In fact, it proves the opposite, in that, He has allowed man the free will to be their own ruler, to see how they make out. As we see clearly because of the violence, because of poverty, because of illness, because of death, because such existence has no guarantees, no sure security to rely on, man fails, miserably, at being his own ruler.
God proves He is merciful by allowing man the opportunity to both live under His authority as supreme being, and to still have freedom, and by following His direction, heeding His will for us, we will know more than just a physical freedom, we will know a freedom in all ways, and more than that, we will know an existence in which we can have secure peace, unceasing joy, and eternal, immeasurable love, no matter what, whether diseases, violence, hunger, poverty, loss.
That's why it is always pride that is what truly stands in the way between a person and God. Get rid of pride, humble self, and acknowledge you aren't supreme, that without The Lord, there will always be failure, and always a lacking.
It is my deepest prayer, especially with such tragedies as this latest senseless murdering, that people will turn to The Lord, accept His son, and be redeemed. Because we are dammed without Him, we need Him to save us, not just from hell, but from ourselves, our carnal, sinful, broken, selves. He illuminates, meaning He liberates us from the darkness of sin, with the light of His glory, and He enlightens us with knowledge, showing us the fullness of the true purpose of our existence. Which is not just to live and then die. With the living and dying being subjective to each person, meaning selfishness and abuse, cruelty, violence, unjust, senseless death to others by others, abounds. Our true purpose is greater. If anyone wants to know what it is, they must first swallow their pride, humble their self, seek The Lord.
Prayers for comfort, rest, strength, and peace for those wounded mentally, emotionally, spiritually, by this tragedy.
J.L.