"He who dwells in the shelter of Elyon, will abide in the shadow of Shaddai. I will say of Adonai, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. For He will rescue you from the hunter’s trap and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness is body armor and shield. You will not fear the terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day,.." Pslam 91 TLV Version
"If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:7 NIV
Terror filled my heart as I received the news this week about the Parkland, FL school tragedy. It was pure evil and unthinkable...too much to fathom the pain of a aparent who may have seen a son or a daughter leaving in the morning with a backpack and pencils, never to return again. "If you see something, say something, the FL officials reminded us to not remain silent when seeing any suspicious act or behavior in the future which could put others in danger.
This is a serious matter for you and I...ignoring a threat could mean precious lives lost. Recognizing that same threat could save them. There's no terror that is worse than losing someone you love or watching your child march off to school not knowing if they will ever come back home.
Our Jewish Messiah, Jesus spoke of tragedies and evil in the last days. He warned us of a day when good would be called evil and evil called good. He even warned that children will do evil (Luke 12:53) Psalm 37 and 73 are cries to God asking why. I do not know all the reasons why. But I do know we live in a fallen world and God designed us to love Him, giving us free will to act righteously, to love good and to do justice. He has promised us a better life in the world to come, a place of no more sorrow, where He will wipe away every tear. (John 14 and Revelations 22) He gave His life as our atonement, rose again and will return for His people because Heis the one who is and who was and who is to come (rev. 1:4, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 9:6, Leviticus 17:11) He weeps for His people and mourns with us as we mourn.
So by grace, I clothe myself in His armor, and walk boldy and humbly in Him. I live in HIS place of safety, in His fortress of love. Let us live our lives covered by Him in faith and choosoe not to live in fear of death and danger. I often read Psalm 91 as the Lord kisses my fears away. And I teach my children this scripture, "Greater is He who lives in me than the one that is in the world." Based on 1 John 4:4 I remind myself. So I feel compelled to remind you today that you that you and I are safe in His arms.
As we contemplate "See something, say something," and choose to speak up to keep our families and our nation safe, we also would be wise to remind ourselves of this saying's spiritual implications. You and I could save a friend from experiencing the greatest tragedy of all. It is a tragedy worse than losing a life here on earth. The tragedy of saying NO to God and to being eternally separated from Him forevermore would be devestating for the one lost and for the one who had the chance to speak but chose NOT TO speak. If you DO know Him and love Him, it is a tragedy to remain silent. (Isaiah 62) (See also Esther 4 and Ezekial 33)
I see something now, and I WILL say something now to you who might be reading this and feel a little lost. That something I see is a SOUL in need of knowing God as his or her refuge and strength. I SEE and know the Lord's ability to fill every empty space and light up every darkness in the people I meet and in you. I see people like you who are hurting and in need and I share the message with you today that if we confess that He is Lord and King, WE SHALL BE SAVED. We will be saved from shame, fear, darknes, spiritual hunger, and saved even from ourselves, from our own stinkin thinkin and confusion and anguish and from an eternity without our Abba, God.
And to my friend who has believed, I know you agree that our country needs more balanced loving believers who will lovingly share this great hope without condemnation remembering that we too, once were lost and now we are found. Thank YOU for being that someone.
Let us keep speaking about so great a salvation because we HAVE SEEN and WE DO KNOW and HIS LOVE IS STILL AMAZING. Hebrews 2:3Thanks for allowing me to share and put my own spiritual spin on this urgent phrase.
Your friend and sister in Yeshua,
michelle gold
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