THE ONLY ONE WE CAN TURN TO

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.

Can a corrupt throne be allied with you — a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.

Psalm 94:16-23

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I write today with a heavy heart, one shared by so many others both here in the United States and around the world.

Yesterday, an unthinkable tragedy occurred in Newtown, Connecticut, where we were reminded that evil is alive and well in this world we live in. For only evil could murder innocent people including so many children without conscience.  Lives have been scarred and marred forever. Pain and remorse have entered into what was supposed to be a holiday buildup predicated on joy and peace.

It’s into this scene that this morning I came to these closing words from the 94th Psalm, words we need right now as we all try and process the senseless actions by a crazed gunman yesterday that shattered a community and the dreams of all who were affected.

Hear now this word from God to all of us:

Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.

Can a corrupt throne be allied with you — a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.

Within these eight verses, we can find the Lord seeking to help us deal with not only the tragedies of yesterday but any tragedy that has occurred and any that may occur in the future. For in the wake of catastrophe and its accompanying heartbreak, our hope and peace is only found in the Lord Most High.

The psalmist shares that in times of trouble, he would have dwelled in silence, the hardship too hard to bear on his own. Indeed, troubles can do this to us. We feel so overwhelmed by our circumstances that we tend to withdraw when we should be reaching out. We tend to crawl into a cocoon of despair and seek to isolate and insolate ourselves from everyone, including God.

The testimony of the psalmist intends to inspire and encourage us, to help us deal with life’s disasters if and when they come upon us. For in his time of need, he didn’t turn from God but ran into His arms to receive His unfailing love and support. Like a warm, firm embrace from someone when you need consoling, the Lord is ever ready to draw you to Himself and hug your hurts away, to wipe away the tears from your eyes, and to show you His unconditional love. If you’ve experienced loss, He stands ready to fill the void left with His love and heal your grief. He has been, is, and will always be the only One we should be turning to.

The Lord is also ever ready to calm our anxieties. Many who weren’t directly impacted by the evil in Newtown were indirectly affected. New anxieties bubbled up to the surface about schools and the safety of children as parents see their kids go off to be educated. There are now questions regarding whether they will actually be safe, wonders whether they might now come home someday after being victimized in a similar tragedy.

In the midst of these anxieties, the Lord speaks to us in this passage.

For the psalmist turned to the Lord in the midst of His anxieties and found a consolation and assurance that brought him joy. The following words from Philippians reinforce this and add peace to the joy the Lord will bring all who place their faith and trust in Him. Hear these words from Paul:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

God is the Almighty Maker of heaven and of earth. He breathed life into this world as we know it and it was perfectly made until Adam and Eve decided to place their own desires ahead of God’s and in doing so ushered sin and evil into God’s perfect creation. We’ve dealt with these evils ever since and will continue to do so until that day when Jesus returns for those who placed their eternal hope in Him.

This omnipotent God who made us is for us and ready to handle whatever burdens we’re bearing. We should give them to Him. In fact, He expects us to give them to Him, to trust in His ability to do all things – even heal a broken and shattered heart. He has worked greater miracles than that.

When we fully trust in a God who can fully do everything, laying our burdens at the foot of His throne, then and only then can we experience peace, and not just any peace but a peace that transcends all understanding. No one else can give this too you outside of God who will, after He has brought you peace, protect your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. In other words, God will ensure you don’t relapse back into anxiety again. You only need to stay connected to Him and continue to receive His consolation and peace.

In the final translation, the Lord is our Rock and Fortress, the only One we can turn to when we need shelter and refuge and comforting. As you deal with the feelings that come from trying to process yesterday’s malevolent act, let God have your worries and fears and stresses and anxieties. Experience His peace that is beyond understanding and then fall into prayer within this peace for those who were directly impacted. They need us to intercede for them during this difficult time, to pray unto the only One who we can turn to.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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