Come sit for a while.........this blog will be a long one....come linger awhile and contemplate what your heart feels and what emotions arise.
In recent days, there has been so much anger, fear, doubt, anxiety and total shock over recent events reported on the news that affects so many people that I know and love. It is devastating to the family that this horrific act happened to AND to all who knows the heartbreak. Something so unbelievable and unfathomable that a person has to shake their head and say: "Why, God, why???"
The beautiful part is that the community of FAITH around this family is gathering..........hunkering down.......staying committed to helping in every aspect possible............praying............and trusting God with all our hearts!!
God will NOT be defeated! The Lion of Judah is roaring and we will get past this! And, we will stand tall together. We will be a community that will have an incredibly positive "Ripple effect" so far and wide that people will say "How in the world do they stay positive? Committed? How are they becoming Stronger?
How? Our God is an AWESOME God!!! He is mighty to SAVE!!! He will NEVER leave us, nor forsake us!!! He WILL be glorified somehow through this tragedy!!!
Psalm 46 resonates for us as a church family!!!
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will NOT fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will NOT fall; Nations are in an uproar, kindgoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty IS with us, the God of Jacob IS our fortress. Come and SEE the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire. BE STILL AND KNO THAT I AM GOD. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty IS with us, the God of Jacob IS our fortress."
Never before have I felt SO strong in my faith. SO certain there IS a God. My faith is growing by the minute! Our church WILL Grow. Our church family WILL unite. Our Kids Ministry WILL survive. Our Preschool will THRIVE. We will OVERCOME by God' Grace and Mercy. His Grace IS enough.
Last night we gathered. We prayed together. We sang songs like "His Grace is Enough" and "Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone." These songs will ring through our heads and our hearts forever. We will NOT give up. We will NOT give in to the devil's schemes.
Prayer will be our mantra. Prayer will lead us to VICTORY.
CHRIST'S Power will prevail and WILL overcome the evil that darkened our doorstep.
Changing gears for a minute, I had the privilege of creating an acronym with a young 10 year old friend, named Bella Lugo last week before this tragedy hit our church. Bella and I poured over a Bible's Concordance for each letter in the word: POWER. After writing down all the possibilities, we came up with this acronym:
Provides
Outstanding
Way
(for)
Everlasting
Righteousness
Isn't that amazing??? A ten year old, opening her Bible, picking out words to put together to create something that will resonate in my heart the rest of my days...........when I first learned of this tragedy, I thought, I don't even know HOW to pray, what to pray, could I pray? Then, this acronym came to my mind. God just provided HIS outstanding WAY. He provides the Everlasting Righteousness through His son.
POWER. Christ's Power.
We have it because He sacrificed it ALL for each of us!!!
HIS POWER!!!
His death. His burial. His resurrection.
Our Salvation. Our Santification. Our Sacred Privilege of being one of HIS followers.
His Provision. His Way. His Everlasting Righteousness.
His POWER.
WOW!!!
