If someone asked me to describe Jesus I would say He’s the God who does not turn away.
He’s the God who comes near.
He’s the God who will always, always, always show up and bend down.
That’s what I hold onto in this life I didn’t choose-that my Shepherd Savior sees me, hears me, loves me and will help me.
For the Eternal watches over the righteous,
Psalm 34: 15-18 VOICE
and His ears are attuned to their prayers. He is always listening.
16 But He will punish evildoers,
and nothing they do will last. They will soon be forgotten.
17 When the upright need help and cry to the Eternal, He hears their cries
and rescues them from all of their troubles.
18 When someone is hurting or brokenhearted, the Eternal moves in close
and revives him in his pain.
Not long after Dominic’s death there was a horrible mass shooting and the perpetrator was in his fifties. I have to admit I literally yelled at God, “REALLY???? This guy lives to his fifties only to kill a bunch of innocent people and You didn’t save Dominic from his accident?!!!”
I was angry and frustrated and sad and broken.
If I’m honest I’ve had a few more moments like that since then.
But I’m brought up short when I read these verses and others like them. The wicked do not have God’s ear. They will not know eternal life with Him in Heaven. They may even be worldly successes but nothing they do will last forever. Riches don’t secure immortality.
Only a penitent heart leaning fully on the grace and mercy of God is eternally safe.
Because I am His child. when I’m hurting, God does not run away or turn a blind eye or a deaf ear-He meets me there.
Jesus is the lover of my soul.
He is the Healer of my heart.
QUESTIONS:
- Do you feel heard by God? By others? Why or why not?
- How do you deal with the fact that sometimes evil seems to win and evil people prosper?
- How would you describe Jesus? Has grief changed how you describe Him?
- Is your description consistent with what Scripture tells us about Him?
- Theology matters-especially when grieving. What I believe about God and Christ either undermine or strengthen my faith. Write down ten things you believe to be true about God and/or Jesus.
PRAYER:
Father God,
I admit that it’s infuriating and feels unfair that sometimes those who don’t love You still prosper. They seem to have a life free from trouble and heartache. And here I am-hurting, deeply harmed and holding on by a thread.
But You are not unjust. You are not ignoring me. You will work all things together for good for those who love you. Help me trust those truths.
You are the God who came near in the stable and on the cross. You are the God who dwells inside those who receive the gift of salvation through Christ. You are not far away.
Hear my cry. Touch my heart.
Amen
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thelifeididntchoose 
One week after my Karissa went to Heaven, a man in our small town shot and killed himself. I was so angry to think that my child fought so hard for 18 months through cancer treatments, horrible pain, and sickness to be with her 5 year old, and 11 year old. How could that man pull the trigger and hurt his family like that!!!
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I’m so sorry Carol. I can see how that would make you angry. Suicide is a very awful and permanent “solution” to intense pain in a person’s psyche. Those who have attempted it and lived will often testify their ability to think rationally was gone at that point. I know we have a number of mamas who read the blog whose children left the world through cancer and through suicide. They both create deep scars for the ones left behind. Praying that you feel the Father’s loving arms around you and that He overwhelms you with His grace and mercy. ❤
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