To our hurting and broken world

Dear World,

I am so sorry for your hurting this week. I am so sorry for the fear and the chaos that has been awakened, stirring up more and more issues as it rears it's ugly head. I am sorry for the loss that you are feeling, the heartache and the pain. My heart breaks for those of you who feel unsafe and who worry about losing your life every moment of every day. I am sad too. My heart is breaking. I feel sad for the people who enjoy creating mass chaos. My heart hurts for those who project their own personal fears on to others. It pains me that there are people who are okay with taking away the life of a fellow human being. I hate that this threat of ISIS has been such a long battle. I feel frustrated, at times, that more has not been done to stop them. I am angry that evil is so prevalent, so domineering and controlling. I am sad that so many people have suffered because of it.

I have always been a deeply emotional person. My emotions are strong and everything so intensely. I felt so many strong emotions over the last few days, as I am sure we all have, and I haven't been able to sort them out. So here I sit, trying to write them out.

I no longer feel the fear that I have felt the last few days reading stories about threats from terrorists. I do not feel the anxiety that comes with wondering what is going to happen to the USA, and on a bigger scale, the world. I will say that I am still so overwhelmed by all of the different viewpoints on the refugee issue. But even then, I have no fear. I am praying. I am praying that the darkness flees. That as Christ-followers begin to lift their eyes to Jesus, the LIGHT becomes so great that it drives out the darkness. I am praying that fear is gone, in Jesus' name. And that peace settles upon this earth in ways that we can never understand. Please believe with me, my friends, that we serve a great, great God who is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine.

Isaiah 54:10 says: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. 

God's covenant of peace is more than a promise, it is so much greater than that. And I pray that we as Christians can remember this. I pray that this peace settles in our hearts and as we begin to live in it, it begins to spread. There is NOTHING that can take His peace away from us. 

In closing, I am going to leave you with the lyrics from Hillsong's song With Everything. The have been playing through my head recently and I think that it is a prayer we can all be praying. 

Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen

Break down our pride
And all the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet

So let hope rise and darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised

God of all days
Glorious in all of Your ways
The majesty the wonder and grace
In the light of Your Name

Let hope rise and darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised

With everything, with everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything, with everything
We will shout forth Your praise

With everything, with everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything, with everything
We will shout forth Your praise

Our hearts they cry, be glorified
Be lifted high above all names
For You our King with everything
We will shout forth Your praise

With everything, with everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything, with everything
We will shout forth Your praise