Today marks the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, one of the greatest acts of terrorism in United States history. Yesterday, an egregious act of murder was carried out against Charlie Kirk. And at Evergreen High School in Colorado a student opened fire on his classmates. There is a continual rise of anxiety among young adults and teens. The constant barrage of vitriol shared on social media and across every media platform continues to create fear unlike any other time in history. Josef Ton, a famous Romanian pastor, once wrote of these types of difficulties in his dissertation on suffering...
“Suffering, pain, and death are the ever-present, undesired, and hated side of human existence. They are a part of the history of man, no one can escape them. They are the starting point of man’s search for meaning, and the stuff of man’s poetry, drama, and philosophy.”
This is our reality. Our reality is a world broken by sin. Romans 3 reminds us of this grim reality describing humanity in this way, “none is righteous…no one does good…their mouth is full of curses…their feet are swift to shed blood; in the paths are ruin and misery…there is no fear of God before their eyes…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This is a reality that beckons us to remember the terror of tragedy. We are called to reflect back about the horrors of terrorism and the heartbreak of murder not because we enjoy thinking of such trauma, but because in doing so we are reminded of our need for a great Rescuer.
There is One who promises to bring full redemption and healing to His followers. There is One who can promise such redemption because He has provided perfect victory over the ultimate villain. Jesus Christ defeated the enemy of death and hell through His death and resurrection.
David Leonard wrote the following as a reminder of the mercy of God during a dark season of his own.
“But this I call to mind, so I have this hope, you will never let me go, your love never lets me go. In the trial, in every storm, you are faithful all the more. So I will preach it to my soul, you will never let me go.”
May it never evade our minds that Jesus Christ experienced the hardship of this life. He felt the pangs of hunger and the heartache of betrayal. He wept, grieving the loss of a friend. Jesus walked on this earth watching sickness and disease. He was acquainted with the sorrows of others hardship all while even confronting his own temptations.
In addition to all of this, Jesus experienced the most excruciating pain known to man through his death on the cross. And in His death He carried not only the physical torment but the spiritual torture of the wrath of God being poured out on Him. But take heart: this same Jesus conquered hell and the grave. Therefore, we must run to Jesus during our darkest hours. We can rest in His loving arms because we know that He has borne our griefs and our sorrows, and He empathizes with our heartbreak. Jesus offers Himself completely to us, and therefore we can find ourselves rejoicing in our suffering because we are not alone as we experience it all.
So, dear brother and sister, take shelter in the loving arms of the One who sees you and knows your hardship. Life is hard, but the beauty of Christ is greater.
When the nations rage and death is at the door
When the wars are waged as they have been before
There's a refuge that I run to, a respite from my fear
Nothing in this world can harm me here
When my song of hope is swallowed by the pain
As the weariness of grief floods in again
Will You find me in the valley? Oh, hear my helpless cry
Hold me as a mother holds her child
When a greater war had torn apart my soul
And the iron hold of sin would not let go
All of Heaven stormed the darkness in the power of the cross
And freed beneath the banner of His love
When the labors of this fleeting life are done
As the shadows fall, we'll see the lights of home
And then all our present troubles will be stories of the past
Safe within His gates, we'll find our rest
And I'll take shelter, take shelter
In the loving arms of God
And I will take shelter, take shelter
In the loving arms of God
Tags: sin, redemption, rescue, brokenness, tragedy
