God, you’re from eternity, aren’t you? Holy God, we aren’t going to die, are we? God, you chose Babylonians for your judgment work? Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline? But you can’t be serious! You can’t condone evil! So why don’t you do something about this? Why are you silent now? This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteous and you stand around and watch!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
If ever there were a scripture passage that seemed timely, this is it. I listened to the latest “worldwide caution” issued by the State Department earlier today…as well as warnings from several “experts” on terrorism who say we should all be expecting an attack at some point…that there will be more confrontations and acts of violence committed against innocent people...that we need to be careful, and stay alert for anything amiss.
Does this mean we should adopt an attitude of fear and suspicion of every person or situation we encounter that seems a little “off” or different? I don’t think so. These alerts are not meant to make us leery of anyone who doesn’t look like us – or worship as we do. It is not a license to discriminate and operate in rigidity and intolerance toward any person or group – all in the name of “safety”.
The bigger question many may be asking is, “Why, God…WHY?” Many may be wondering why God is allowing evil men to do evil things…and to hurt innocent people in the bargain. It’s a logical question…and the answer is not that this fulfills some Biblical prophecy! Please…let’s NOT go THERE!
I believe that God wants us pay careful attention to the details of our lives. I don’t think that He intends for us to deliberately put ourselves in harmful situations. Yet, some of us do this by the very words we use when posting social media comments and talking amongst our “friends” about other people - using derogatory terms and suggesting that those who are not like us in some manner should all be locked up, tortured, or even killed.
God calls us to mind our words and our actions. Should we encounter an evil situation, this will be our “Daniel moment"…our opportunity to stand up for what we believe – and for WHOM we serve. If we are injured or killed in the process, the “bad guys” have not truly won.
We need to get a grip…to put this into perspective…to pray for the families and friends of those slain in Paris - and around the world – by the evil factions who wish to do us harm. And we need to prepare in the most important way – by making sure that we have a right relationship with Jesus Christ…that we are ready to meet Him face-to-face at a moment’s notice.
God will deal with evil – in His time and in His manner. This is not our worry. His heart breaks over their deeds, and He will attend to their punishment in due time. Meanwhile, we believers in Jesus Christ truly are safe…in His powerful and loving arms. Nothing and no one can harm us there. And this should be our primary focus. Are you truly prepared in the way that matters most? Isn’t it time you were?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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