Everyday I hear heartbreaking news —families are suffering great loss, devastation caused by hurricanes, crime and violence and calamity because of crime, violence and craziness. Although I do not know them personally, they are still family because we are all connected as part of God’s family.
It’s during times like this that no matter who you are, how long you have been a Christian, how spiritually deep you think you are, the questions arise, “Why?” “Why did God allow such tragedy to happen, especially the tragic and sudden death? Truth is, we don’t have all the answers and may never know why other than we live in a fallen world. We try to give spiritual answers as believers, but I can tell you from personal experience, it does not ease the pain at the time. The journey from mourning to joy must be traveled by each of us on a timeline determined by our total dependence on the supernatural power of the God we profess as our Healer.
Nevertheless, until we are healed, delivered and set free, the ambush of thoughts are like stray bullets in our mind. We are unable to sooth the gut-wrenching feeling of sorrow when we stare at beautiful pictures of vibrate, happy, smiling faces of children that we dreamed of growing into adulthood. We stare in disbelief at cities and neighborhood destroyed by 155 mph winds and highways and roads that are turned into rivers by floodwaters. We watch videos of senseless violence and crimes that are incomprehensible. We try to rationalize but cannot.
It hits too hard! It affects believers and of course, nonbelievers, who often use unexplainable events and tragedy as reasons for not believing that a loving God would allow such horrendous things to happen to good people. Yet, no one is able to answer the why questions. Unfortunately, if we seek for a reason too long and do not come up with one, our soul will become exceedingly sad and discontent. Our inability to rationalize the horrific tragedy along with our emotional instability cause us to sink deeper and deeper into a pit of darkness. It is there in the darkness that depression will grip our soul with its gnashing teeth and refuse to let go. Consequently, we conclude we have no hope. It is in this pitfall of hopelessness where many give up and surrender to the spirit of defeat. They cannot fight for themselves.
Therefore, the need for intercessors is great! Intercessors are those will stand in gap (spiritual gateway) and make up the hedge in behalf of those who become defenseless against the kingdom of darkness because the pangs of sorrow have become unbearable.
As believers, let us pray fervently and resolve that we may never know all the whys in this world nor understand even if God in His sovereignty chooses to tell us. But we must trust God to walk with us on our journey from mourning to joy. We must know we are victorious, and believe what Jesus said even through our heartbreaking, painful experiences…
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
©2018 Queen E. Phillips. All rights reserved.
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