Safety

“He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday” (Ps. 91: 4-6).

An intended repeat of the recent movie theater shootings was, thankfully, thwarted today. There seems to be violence on every hand.  We hardly know which way to turn.

We grieve for the victims and their families, yet long for assurances of safety for ourselves and our own loved ones.We want safety from all harm, by man or nature — physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, and any other variety.

God has the power to protect us, and does.  God does not, however, offer the kind of guarantee we might wish — not even to those who love Him.  His promise to us is on a grander scale. An astonishing scale, really.

God gifted mankind with free will. We are permitted to make choices, from which consequences flow — at times tragic consequences.

Because of His great love for us, God will not subvert free will. He will, however, sustain us whatever evil may befall us. That covers a vast array of trials from the death of a child to the destruction of a home by flood, and the enormous range of ailments to which human beings are subject — bubonic plague to ebola.

Our grief may feel overwhelming.  Our loss may leave us with a deep wound, sometimes lasting a lifetime. God not only feels our pain, and walks with us through that valley.  He can find a way to use the grief and pain of believers for good (Gen. 50: 20).

A soldier’s death is not in vain. A martyr’s death is not in vain.

Nor will these shooting deaths be in vain, if they remind us we are one nation, under God.

READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse  http://www.avoicereclaimed.com