Yesterday I posted a response to the recent tragedies we have experienced in our nation and in our community. Today I am posting four specific ways that I will respond to these events daily.
- Pray. I think that we are to be in a constant dialogue with God. “Pray continually” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV). This is a life-long pursuit. I love how Paul says it in Philippians: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” – Philippians 4:6-7. We are also to bring anything that affects us deeply to God in prayer. I am reminded of the words from an old song I grew up with in the Baptist Church. “O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” – From What a Friend We Have In Jesus, by Alan Jackson. It is certainly appropriate to spend time with God reflecting on these events and praying for those affected and for the hearts of those in our community, country, and world. I will spend focused, intentional quiet time with God in prayer each day.
- Hope. As I talked about yesterday, I believe that evil is self-defeating in the sense that it only serves to illustrate the great need that exists for Christ. “Everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” – Ephesians 5:13 (NLT). I believe these terrible events, while heartbreaking, will result in a large number of people coming to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I will remind myself each day that Jesus is the reason that light exists in this evil world.
- Praise. The second part of Philippians 4:6 touched on this idea, and we are to recognize God with the worship that He is due. God is the sovereign Lord of all things. Sovereign is kind of a church word, but it contains the words over and reign inside of it. Kings reign and God is king over all. Worship is our recognition that God doesn’t have to justify himself. God is love and our response is to return that love to Him. I will worship God in some way with every remaining day of my life.
- Live. Ultimately, we just have to keep going. Our lives are our testimony to the world about our faith in and relationship with Jesus. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Ephesians 5. In it, Paul says: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. … That is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” – Ephesians 5:8-10,14 (NIV). I want to live well with every day that I have left, so I will serve God in a meaningful way with each of them.
These choices will be tough to live out, and I am sure that I will be challenged and tested. What will your response to tragedy be?
Michael Inman
Abundant Life Church
Small Groups Director
michael@coolchurch.com
ALC Lifegroups 