Romans 8:35-39
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” / NIV
The Lord said in this world we would face trials and tribulation.
Daily, the media is blaring the devastating news of destruction, loss, and death around every corner of our world, our nation, our neighborhoods, and our homes. We are pounded over and over again with horrible visual events and situations. The very heart of our nation cries with deep sorrow over the loss of loved ones.
We watch and listen as the survivors share the heart wrenching details of natural disasters, bombings, and abusive citizens in our country. They all contribute to the displacement and loss of every person involved from their family, friends, and homes. Unless we have been in similar situations and have walked in their shoes, we cannot totally understand their loss of everything surrounding their lives. We cannot understand their ability to get up from the ashes of a situation to find any type of hope when all they held dear was shaken and altered.
When it’s all we can stand to hear and see, we turn it off. It effects each of us differently as we wonder what if it was me, my family, or my friends. Some of us walk away in anguish and disgust. Some of us sit silently in sorrow crying for the losses of our fellow-man. When it’s all we can stand, we kneel and pray asking for intervention and hope in a dismal situation.
The Amplified Bible says in John 16:33 –
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”
These are words we cannot completely understand, but they are words we can completely trust and rely upon.
The hope found within us encourages us to act and to reach out to help those hurting. It takes so little to light the path for our neighbor as we help to lighten their load.
Many of us, immediately, step up to encourage and extend the resources we have. I pray each one of us finds a resource to enable us to help and not just watch and wonder. Perhaps a good place to start would be the radio station KLOVE. They offer many opportunities for each person to give in a way that is life changing.
Often, when we reach out we find the life changed is ours. We find encouragement as we experience the life changing journey of Beauty for Ashes, (please listen) by Crystal Lewis
Bless you!
healingoftheheart 
I do often look at tragedy and am so selfish. “Thank goodness it wasn’t me!” Illness, devastation, relationships, kids — -i see so much going wrong that seems to bypass me and I just say, “Whew.” Instead, my heart should focus on those that suffer, and pour my heart, my prayers, and my efforts toward them.
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Yes, David, so often we just “look” and only see the surface of the tragedy. However, the Lord’s love within us and working through us compels us to look beyond into the heart, sorrow, and suffering. It is not humanly possible to touch all, but we have the ability to touch those the Lord has put in front of us or those he has placed on our hearts. We know who they are. When we listen he tells us when to “go”, when to speak, and when to be the arms of Jesus to wrap his love around the hurting heart.
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