Psalm 33:20 ESV
[20] Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
This world was created to be a beautiful, peaceful place basking in God’s glory. But humanity was deceived and sin entered in(read Genesis). What was meant for good, was now destined for the selfishness of men rather than a relationship that glorifies God.
Whether you believe in Jesus and His redemptive power or not, in this world you will have trouble. There is no escaping it.
“This world still lies in the power of the evil one. We can love, build up and support and bring change a little by little in this world, but there is only one who can make it all better. And He has not promised to do so until He returns. Which means we need to face great evil with partial outcomes while remaining faithful. It is a hard school, as most of you know.”
Diane Langberg from Suffering and the Heart of God
Deciding your life has no value or that someone else’s life has no value is one such lie of the evil one. The repercussions of it creates waves of emotional turbulence. Tsunami style waves. Meanwhile, the world continues on and the evil one will take any chance he can get to shoot flaming arrows at you.
This is where the body of Christ comes in (church speak for followers of Jesus). We are called to be like Jesus. We enter into the dark places and show the light. We put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and we hold up the shield of faith to protect our brothers and sisters.
The moment I informed people that my mom had killed herself, was the moment my brothers and sisters in Christ, family and friends surrounded me. They raised their shields of faith and covered me as the emotional tsunami came crashing in and the evil ones arrows threatened destruction.
Friends made plans and took care of my kids, others dropped by to give me a hug and gifts, and my household responsibilities were taken care of. Our church prayed over us as I openly wept and worshipped. My homeschool classes were covered and we were so blessed to have been given more funds for our trip to Oklahoma than I could have ever imagined possible. The funeral expenses were covered. Most of our memory trip was paid. This is God’s provision and people showing up.
Do you see it? Do you see God in this? He is our help and shield. God’s people are His shield bearers. That. That is how we make it through the tragedies of life.
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