The Law of Love

"You never start living until you stop fearing."  - Ann Voskamp

There has been much to fear in this year.  And no doubt, there will be much to fear in the year to come.  Because evil is on the loose in this world.  Lurking behind bushes, prowling the open plains, waiting to devour the weak. 

But take courage because there is One. 

He has overcome this world.

He reigns victorious over this evil. 

Jesus. At His name, the darkness flees.

Do not be afraid.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Love wins in this epic story.  Love always wins.  And until the day when every knee will bow and tongue confess that Love has won, may the church unite to speak Truth and mourn with those who mourn.  No more. No less. No arguments that will solve nothing. No blame to be tossed. No criticizing of the laws and control or lack thereof. 

When four foot caskets are buried six feet under, I just don't understand how more laws or less laws will cure the human heart responsible for this kind of graveyard.  And I think deep down we all know laws can't prevent evil.  Isn't this why Jesus came?  To fulfill the law that was impossible to keep, to save and redeem His family of sinners, to claim victory over this unbeatable evil that beats in us all? To transform us and send us out as sheep among wolves, not lawmakers among the lawless?

There is only one cure for the wickedness of earth and that is the love of God. 

When Jesus came, He didn't draft new laws.  He loved. And He reminded us what the two most important commands were:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength. (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37)
Love your neighbor as yourself. (Lev 19:18, Matt 22:39)

It seems so simple. But even these I cannot keep without Him. I cannot even love without His power and presence in my life.  Not selflessly, not extravagantly, not in a way that exposes Love to a barren, bankrupt heart.  It starts with me. My heart. My circle of influence.  Not with a lawmaking frenzy of pharisaical proportions.

Laws made by man - they are made out of fear.  But perfect love casts out fear.  That's the law of Love.

Love Wins

The reports pour in.  They are always so confusing amidst chaos and disaster.  Numbers fly but we know they don’t mean anything, not yet.  One thing is for sure.  Something awful has happened.  Terrorist attack, madman, political activist.  We don’t know.  But there are injuries and there are casualties.

In the ashes of disaster and chaos and evil, something inevitably occurs.  The beauty of good rises, the beauty of Him.  Long before the "why" can be answered, Who is moving swiftly through. At the hands of a few, evil strikes.  And at the response of thousands, God weaves a brighter, richer, more telling tale of His love and redemption. 

Only a handful are bent on destroying but the majority rise up to help their neighbor.

Countless first responders descend on the scene.  Bomb squad is first.  Their mission?  To be the front line, protecting civilians from harm.  They stand between the public and further catastrophy.  And they search every trash can, every unclaimed bag, every corner of every alleyway for any further danger.  And they don't stop there.  If they find something, they pick it up and remove it to a safe place for a controlled detonation.  

Fire and rescue crews disperse and take control of an uncontrollable situation.  It’s what they know, what they have been trained for, what they signed up to do.  It was a decision they made long before disaster struck – to be right here among the bleeding and wounded.  They can look past the horror to see the lives that need saving.  They sort through the mess to gather the living, the ones that can be saved.

City police are there too.  Blocking roads and locking down the crowd to find the perpetrator(s) and acting in a myriad of other capacities that we really probably have no idea.  They are the gap fillers.  Whatever is needed beyond physically treating wounds and dismantling bombs, the men and women in blue are there.  Tactical training and command centers at the ready. 

And then there are just your average citizens.  Spectators on the streets scooping up children and tending to victims and chasing down medical attention and wrapping arms around the broken.  Runners who ran 26.2 miles only to cross the finish and keep on running to the hospital to donate blood.   I can’t even imagine the ways the average citizen is rising up on the streets of Boston today.  Untrained and unskilled but compelled to act for the greater good.

And we’re only nine hours in. There are stories yet to be told, miracles yet to be heard, beauty yet to rise.  Long after evil retreats to the shadows, goodness is still shining bright, outpacing the dark, fueled by love.  And Love always wins. Always.

 

 

Father, let faith arise on the streets of Boston.  Let Love overtake the darkness.  May you bring glory to your name. So many will turn to you in anger, will curse your name, will ask so many questions, will stand in disbelief.  Lord, help me to remember that you do not need me to defend your reputation.  Help me remember you are working in the midst of it all.  Lord, your word promises that you are near the brokenhearted and that you save those crushed in spirit.  I claim those promises now for the victims and their families.  Be so near to them, Lord. So near.  Lord, thank you for the first responders and for the average citizens and for everyone you will work through in your own perfect timing.  You are good.  You are love.  And I trust in your name alone.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

When There Are No Words

I’ve been wrestling with words since Friday.  Because there are so many thoughts swelling inside me that I feel I need to spill some words or I just might burst.  And as they collect on the page, I know.  In a time like this, there just are no words.  At least no words that will minister to broken hearts.  Sometimes all we can do is reach out and wrap arms around the broken and sit together in the silence.  In the trenches of grief, there is little room for anything but the suffering and the Savior. And since we know for certain He is in us, maybe all we can do is take Him with us into the trenches and weep and mourn alongside the broken. 

 

Jesus,

We need you. We are so broken.  We don't understand.  This world – it just doesn’t make sense.  And I know why.  Because it is not yours. Not yet.  Something like this is pure evil.  And evil cannot be understood. Only fought. With the power of your victorious name.  Jesus, we need you.  To comfort. To come.  To fight.

 

I believe Lord.  And I trust you with everything I have.  That you ARE good.  That you ARE loving.  That you ARE with the broken and crushed in spirit.  That in you there is no darkness. These things I know.  And I know that you too are grieving.  You too are weeping.  I am so sorry, Jesus, that your people fell victim to such evil.  I am so sorry. Show us the ones who need to be held.  And, Lord may we be a people that can see through these awful circumstances that there is no hope within us.  There is only hope in you.

 

Jesus, come.   Lord may your name be glorified even in this senseless tragedy. We await the beauty you promise.  We love you. In your victorious, powerful, holy name.  Amen.