Sunday, July 17, 2016

July 17 - Prov. 17

He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 17:5

We live in a world that seems to be increasing in violence. Terrorism now tops the list of things that people fear, and weekly the media serves up a new list of atrocities. Groups like ISIS claim victory and use the publicity as a recruiting tool. I'm sure that many people are asking "where is God in all of this?" and when and how can justice be served?

The same questions were asked on 9/11. A response from Tim Keller, a New York City pastor, stood out for me. His comments to a CNN reporter were that God was present in the first responders who rushed in to save lives, some making the ultimate sacrifice. God was in the thousands of people who came alongside the desperate and hurting, giving of themselves to serve others. God was present as a crushed people dealt with the reality of a broken and fallen world where at times it seems like evil has the upper hand.

The only comfort that I can take from this passage is that God knows. The hate-filled actions of radicalized people don't go unnoticed. The pain and cries of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, who have lost loved ones, is also felt by the Heavenly Father. When terror is unleashed, God doesn't turn His back, for He knows the end of the story, and He is righteous and good.  We're told that the guilty "will not go unpunished."

1 comment:

  1. verse 17....Lord, may I be a father who is a glory to his children.

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