Faithful Friday 08

In the Face of the Unthinkable, We Remember Who He Is

Happy Friday Friends,

As usual, I hope this week has held more mercies than messes, but you know the drill: if not, grab that cup of coffee (or glass of wine, if you’re just now exhaling from the day) and get settled in for our weekly chat.

Just like many (all) of you, my heart is in absolute tatters after watching the horrific news on the school shooting in Minnesota this week. On that same day, I dressed my two boys in their chapel uniforms, where they also gathered with their whole lower school to worship and pray. Watching those parents hold onto their babies sent a sharp pain through my soul.

I won’t pretend to know the answers to all of the questions swimming around in our brains right now. Instead, I’ll offer you what I try to do each week: a soft place to land before the weekend. A place where you can come before God with every smile, hope, tear, scream, and question. I’ll try to remind you that He can handle it and He will sit with you in it.

It might feel like I am sharing a lot of scripture today. I don’t want that to overwhelm you, but when I feel absolutely lost in how to respond to and understand situations… I have found that the Word is the best place to start.

Weep With Me by Rend Collective

Weep with me

Lord will You weep with me?

…

Yet I will praise You

Yet I will sing of Your name

Here in the sadows

Here I will offer my praise

What’s true in the light

Is still true in the dark

You’re good and You’re kind

And You care for this heart

Lord I believe

You weep with me

Turn my lament into a love song

From this lament, raise up an anthem

I used to sit on the floor of the shower, while the water poured over me, and listen to this song when Jones was incredibly sick before his heart transplant. I couldn’t understand why my child and my family were in this position. I was angry and overwhelmed with grief. I also knew who God was and that the only place I would find true comfort wasn’t in my anger and grief but in his arms.

He is with us in the middle of every terrible moment, every fear come true, and every sorrowful moment.

I want to share these verses of comfort with you this week. Tuck them away and hold them close:

• In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

  {John 16:33b}

• The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

  {Psalm 34:18}

• Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

  {Joshua 1:9}

• Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

  {Revelation 21:3-4}

In those moments when the world feels utterly out of control, when the urge to hide your family away is overwhelming, come back to these promises. Write them down. Print them out. Pray over them until they sink into your soul.

The truth is, we will face things in this life that we were never meant to understand this side of heaven. I don't say that lightly, but as a mom who almost lost her son and who still lives with the uncertainty of his future. It’s a mystery that Scripture doesn’t shy away from; in fact, it confirms it: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). There are plans we can’t comprehend and battles we can’t see, yet He remains sovereign over it all.

This is exactly why I chose the song above. That one line anchors me: “What’s true in the light is still true in the dark. You’re good and You’re kind and You care for this heart.”

When our understanding fails…

When the world's evil feels overwhelming…

When we’re angry and wrestling with God’s sovereignty…

In those very moments, we must cling to the unchanging truth of who He is.

Here are the things I am focusing on today:

• He is Just (Hebrews 10:30; Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:4; Luke 18:7)

• He is the Author and Creator of life (Hebrews 12:2; Genesis 1:1, James 1:17)

• He is Faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 105:8; Numbers 23:19)

• He is our Comforter (Psalm 46:1-3; 91:4-6; Luke 12:32)

• He has good plans for us (Revelation 21:3-4 -the greatest plan there ever was; Ephesians 2:10; Hebrews 13:20-21).

We know that there is and will be evil in this world until the day Jesus returns. Our faith doesn't grant us immunity from despair and pain (1 Peter 1:5-7). But it does give us this: the promise that we will never, ever walk through it alone (Psalm 23:4-5).

Take heart, my sweet friends. He has overcome the world.

To be honest, I don't even know where to begin talking to my children about tragedies like this. My instinct is to shield them, especially my oldest, who already battles anxious thoughts. The last thing I want is for him to feel afraid to go to school.

But the reality is, they're already exposed through things like active shooter drills. And while everyone has different views on what should be done, this isn't the place for that debate. Instead, I want to share what I'm focusing on at home.

Here are three things we're doing to navigate this:

Praying relentlessly. Above all, I will pray. I will do so knowing that it matters. That God keeps our prayers in a golden bowl with Him in His throne room (Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4). He hears our cries and he weeps with us. Through this tragedy, He WILL show up. He will provide, He will offer comfort, and in places we can’t see, He will offer justice. We're praying for the victims and their families, and for protection over all schools.

Seeking discernment, not just debate. I'm listening to all the information on how to make our schools, churches, and children safer. I'm refusing to pigeonhole myself into one belief system without first praying over these things and asking for wisdom.

Preparing for the conversation. I'm making sure I'm ready to talk if my children bring it up. My goal is to be a safe place for them to ask questions and express their fears, and it's okay to tell them I don't have all the answers. We will pray together so they see where we turn in times of fear and uncertainty. Practically, this also means looking into our own school's protocols and asking questions.

Lord,

Today, I come to you weary and lost. This world can feel so heavy and my mind is full to the brim with information, anger, grief and pain.

Help me meditate instead on Your mercy and Your love. Though I do not know the purpose in these times, I can rest on the belief that You are good. That when times are uncertain, You are certain. That where there is sadness, in Your story, there is always redemption.

May we remember that above all the mess and pain, You are there, sovereign over it all. You are with us, comforting us, and holding us in Your hands.

We pray over the families, Lord, who are feeling unending and unimaginable pain. We pray that You bring some sort of good from the shattered glass at their feet. We pray that those around them become the feet and hands of Your church, and lift them.

We pray for the sweet souls lost. We picture You ushering them into the perfect peace of heaven, wiping their tears and making them whole again. We thank You that this is the hope we get to hold onto as Christians.

We know that these events will live in our hearts and minds forever. We pray that You help us take the next right steps as a country. We lay the fears we have for our children, for our schools, for our churches… at the feet of the cross, knowing that You are a Just and Loving God.

Remind us that the path through Jesus does not offer an easy, trial-free life, but it does offer a hand to hold when things get difficult.

In Your name, Amen.

Until next week, Blair

Because Motherhood is hard. But you? You’re held.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

}Mathew 5:7}