Living Hope

In light of the Nashville school shooting that happened earlier this week, I’ve been processing a lot of thoughts and emotions. The first was anger. I am so furious at the person that did this, and that they believed they had the right to storm into that school and take innocent life. How disgustingly selfish. Then I hurt for those families, they are experiencing a loss I can’t imagine. Next was fear. Christians have been hated since the beginning of time, just like Jesus said we would be (1 John 3:13; John 15:18-19).

I quickly found myself spiraling. The world is so bad and seems to only be getting worse. No one can afford to live and most aren’t willing to work. Our country is turned on its head and most of us are struggling to get by. I began to question whether or not I could one day bring children of my own into this cruel world we are in.

Thankfully, the Bible addresses all 3 of the emotions I was feeling:

1. Anger:

There are two types of anger, the righteous kind and the sinful kind. We are told in Ephesians to not sin in our anger or allow the devil to have a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27). Jesus was our perfect living example, and there are instances in the Bible of Jesus being angry. So let's see how He did it. The story I am referring to is found in Matthew 21 and tells of Jesus overturning tables in the temple due to his anger at those disrespecting God. This is how our anger should also be. Anger at the injustice of God's people and the disrespect of God.

2. Grief

The Bible tells us to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15). We are called to stand beside our brothers and sisters in Christ who are grieving, and grieve with them. We are called to share in one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2).

3. Fear

1 Peter 5:7 says to "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." We can rest in the truth that Jesus loves us, cares for us and can use our pain for His glory. Despite the horrid effects sin has had on the earth, we can find peace and hope in the promises of God.

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Hope is a word that was brought to my attention recently. And I don’t mean the cinematic dystopian type of hope you see on tv, I mean hope in Jesus. I feel I hear that so often that it sometimes loses its potency with me, but it didn’t last night when I was thinking of what to write on this subject. As I began to think “God how do we make it through this?” He answered and said hope.

Now, this hope isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s a solid hope with a promise that Jesus sees and feels the pain of His people, and He is coming back. One day we will be united under heaven with our Creator. He says there will be a new heaven and a new earth and that there will be no more suffering, no more sorrow, no more pain, death, evil, or sin (Revelation 21:4).

What a steady anchor to cling to in a sea of uncertainty. May we remember this promise when we feel we are drowning in the heaviness of the world.

Dear Lord, my prayer today is for those affected by this tragedy. The ones who lost family and friends. I pray for those in the community that they would step up and step into the role of support and care for their hurting brothers and sisters. I pray You use this tragedy as a way to reach those who are lost and afraid and looking for a solid hope to cling to.