Infinite God, Finite Man

FaithWalkDaily 9/11/08

The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
~ Psalm 27:1, NLT

On this memorial of probably the worst day in American history, it is hard not to fear in these times. On top of dealing with all the memories of that tragic day and so many things that happened in my own personal life at the same time, today I learned that the husband of a very dear friend has passed away suddenly. He was only forty something.

My dear friend Mimi is left without her husband, the father of her sons and her best friend in the whole world. She said to me, "we were a we, I can't even think in terms of I. I don't know how I'll do anything without him. He was always my comforter and now when I need him to comfort me more than ever, he's not here."

Can we find comfort today in the words of David, when he faced a great adversary?

Satan wants to use the terrible things that happen in life to convince us God doesn't exist or to make us fearful, angry, confused, or turn away from God.

But these are the times God waits quietly on us. He is there to comfort us with His sovereign presence, to speak to our hearts the words we need to hear, to prompt loved ones and friends to reach out in our darkest moments, to guide us to seek the comfort of those left behind. This is the very time to turn to him, for He has promised to see us through with our best interests at heart. As so often, I turn to Jeremiah 29:11 which has been my anchor verse for the past couple years. God knows the plans he has for us - not plans to harm us, but plans for our good, plans to give us hope and a future. He says in that still small voice, be still and know that I am God.

So while nothing makes sense in our grieving, something is happening. God is at work. We cannot know how. Someday my dear sister Mimi will testify to God's glory through all this and God will be honored and people will be blessed. For now, it just hurts.

For all those who are mourning again today losses or wounds from 911, God be with you.

Lord, You are sovereign and merciful. We don't pretend to have wisdom to understand all that happens in our world: when a young, healthy man suddenly dies for no apparent reason; when a whole building full of innocent people going about their business are suddenly attacked for no reason - in the name of a foreign god. None of it makes any sense to us. But You are God. You are holy, perfect and in control. And so today, we humbly bow before You, conceding how small and finite we are, and how much we need You. Bring comfort today to those who mourn, bring peace to our nation, bring wisdom to our leaders, bring hope to us all. In Jesus name we pray, amen.