It's a no-brainer that America is in deep need of prayer. And while it's easy to ask God to stop the violence, stop the pain, and make everything better, that's not what I'm praying for. I fully believe that God can answer those requests, but to be honest I don't think he will because I know that his plan is much better than mine.
Instead, I am praying that God uses these times of trouble and pain to glorify how good He is and to show people how amazing His grace and mercy are. I am praying that God doesn't let our pain go to waste because I know He is much greater. I am praying that God uses these times of trouble to reach his people, for every person to have the opportunity to know him in these times of need.
Greg Stier, in his book "Dare 2 Share: A Field Guide To Sharing Your Faith," pointed out that "the twenty-first-century version of the Christian God is just loving, instead of just and loving." While I fully believe in Gods love and that God is love, I also believe that God is just. I have been learning a lot about the justice side of God this summer and it has shown me that in all circumstances He is still good!
Isaiah 30:18-20 says, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them."
To give some context of this scripture, the Jews were seeking aid from Egypt rather than from God. They were ignoring His word and believed that they didn't need Him. God tells his people that they are wrong and what the consequences will be. But he doesn't stop there, he goes on and expresses his mercy on his people. I don't know about you, but I find a lot of comfort in this scripture.
If you believe in the bible, then you believe that God's word is still alive today (Hebrews 4:12). And if this scripture is still active and alive, then that means all of God's truths are still active and alive. The truths that he loves us (John 3:16), that he cares for us (Psalm 116:5-6), that he is our strength (Isaiah 40:31), that he will not abandon us (Deuteronomy 31:8), that he will deliver us (Psalm 50:15).
As the news has been filling up with shootings and disasters, let us turn to God for aid. We can't do this alone, we need Him through it all. So tonight, and every night as I pray before bed, I pray that God will use our pain for His goodness. That through these tragedies, people will turn to Him. Because as more people are dying, their eternities are on the line. And true salvation can only come through Jesus, to live in eternity with Him.
