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Words of Life in Times of Tragedy

"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked."  Prov. 10:11

Once again, our nation was brought to its knees by a senseless act of violence.  Never do you hear the word "prayer" used in greater proportions than after such an event as we saw yesterday with the bombings at the Boston Marathon.  My Facebook and Twitter feeds were filled with promises of prayer for the city and for those directly affected by the tragedy.

I truly hope that all who have claimed prayer for the situation has truly stopped and bowed their head to the One True God who is capable of bringing hope to the hopeless and who can shine light in the midst of darkness.  Perhaps if we would all pray just a little more for our nation in the absence of times like these, rather than just in the midst of them, then maybe they'd be a little less frequent, but we'll talk about that another day.

It is truly during times like this that the lost world is looking for words of hope from God's people.  We are tasked with such a great opportunity to be His spokesperson for love, healing, and forgiveness.  What an awesome mission field we have in the days to come!

The writer of Proverbs tells us that the mouths of the righteous offer life giving words, and those words should provide encouragement and love in the midst of uncertainty and hurting.  You might think that you're not normally good with your words, but this is your time to be used greatly by God to draw a lost world closer to Him.

The writer tells us a few chapters later:

"The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life."  Prov. 15:4

The analogy of a tree producing life reminds me of all of the Scripture in the New Testament that speaks of bearing fruit.  If you are offering words of healing to those who are hurting or to those who question why such a tragedy could occur, then you are planting seeds that could one day result in a life totally transformed by the love of God.  I truly believe that God uses our words during times like this to draw lost men and women to Him.

I hope and pray that you will make it your mission to offer seeds of hope to those around you during the weeks to come.  You don't have to have all of the answers, but you can share with them how God's love truly transcends all of these acts of useless violence.  It is only the hope that He offers through Jesus that can bring true peace to our weary land.

Join me in praying for our nation, for Boston, and for the role that we as God's people will play in the lives of those who are looking for Light in the midst of darkness.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 6, 2013 at 8:54 AM

    Thank you...prayer....myself have been guilty of promises of prayer and forgot...but...when I do remember...I pray.....how blessed I am to have the faith of prayer.....my prayers will continue for Boston..

    ReplyDelete

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