It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way
By Paris Renae
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
When I was young I had a couple of recurring dreams. One finally stopped by the time I hit the tween years, the other not until I was an adult. Both were ominous.
I couldn’t close my eyes for a long time when I awoke from them. The longer lasting one led to my fear of bridges: in the dream we would no sooner get mid-way across when the rest of the bridge would fall off into the water and us with it.
Sometimes our fears aren’t dreams, they’re life. So many hurting souls in this hurting world. My knee jerk reaction to those who inflict pain is ‘Lord, why don’t You just zap them and get rid of them’. Fortunately, I am not God, for I’m often quick to judge.
I can’t explain animal cruelty, child abuse, sex trafficking, and on the horrid list goes. But I do know this: it isn’t supposed to be this way and - praise God – it will not always be this way.
In the depths of depravity Light can shine. In the loneliness of rejection Light can reach. Around the world or next door, wherever evil tries to set up shop, there is Hope. How do we know? Because there is nothing new under the sun.
Man has been letting wickedness have its way since the beginning. From all the lives archived in the Bible to the starving orphan in Haiti right now, God has worked and is working. Good will prevail.
Our causes for anxiety may not be as dire as bombs going off a mile away, fires burning just over the hill top, or a crazed drug addict breaking in – but whatever fears this world is throwing at us, we are not alone.
Once you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got Him. The Holy Spirit is a deposit in us that does not come and go. An abiding love and sure guarantee that no matter what happens here, in the end we are victorious.
Our earth suit may be wracked by illness or enslaved by dementia, but the eternal body awaiting us will be more alive than this one has ever been – and it will be forever and always.
Yes, God is mighty to save. He does take great delight in you. Listen…He’s rejoicing over you with singing.
Oh, dear one, fear is no stranger, but in the dark remember the One who is your Light. “The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.” Zephaniah 3:15b
Oh Father, how we long for all the worries of this life to fade away. We long for it all to be made right - right now. But You are at work and we trust that Your mighty works never fail and that all things work for the good of those who call on Your great Name. Give us Your courage that we may share that courage with the hurting souls of this world. Let Your Light dispel the darkness. In Jesus’ powerful Name. Amen
© 2017 by Paris Renae, All rights reserved.
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Originally published Tuesday, 12 September 2017.
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