When tragedy strikes, when life is senselessly taken in the name of some ideology or cause, and when fear overwhelms a country, the response is to ask why, what for… who? What happened in Orlando yesterday, what caused the loss of 50 lives and the pain and suffering of 53 more and for all the families has placed a grip of fear on the country; fear that is the very object of the attack.
In the midst of this gripping fear we need to pause and ask ourselves and the country a question… Who?
But not who is behind all of this or what are we to do, what can we do. We need to turn that question into a statement of fact, just as Micah did when Israel was confronted with terror and fear; when the nation was looking in a mirror and seeing the reflection of her failure to follow her God.
Mic 7:18 Who is a God like you?
That is the the watchword we should be sounding, rather than allowing the enemy’s actions (no matter how tragic the results) to overwhelm us with fear. As the bride of Christ we, of all the inhabitants of this world, cannot forget to focus on the in-comparability of our God… there is no one like Him. Just as Israel cried out at the Red Sea…
Ex 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
So, in the face of the senseless acts of the enemy of God in Orlando, San Bernardino, and Paris, we need stand on the truth that has been written in our heart. There is no one that even comes close to measuring up to who God is, to what He has done, and what He will do. We need to ask ourselves, why are we so captured by the sins of the world, why are we so terrified by the all of the actions of those who oppose our God? Shouldn’t we be encouraged by and stand on all of His promises? Promises that are guaranteed by both His Word (Gen 12:2-3) and by His oath (Gen 22:16). By God’s incredible word and His oath, in which it is impossible for Him to lie, we have that strongest assurance and hope for our future… but we need to lay hold of His promises.
Heb 6:18-19 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
The psalmist well wrote that God’s promise is His everlasting covenant… His Word and His sworn promise (Ps 105:8-11). We need to stand on that promise. Rise up church! We hold the only true answer to the chaos that fills the world around us and oppresses those without hope. Because of our God we have the hope to stand strong in the face of fear and lead others to the source of our hope. When we are challenged by the face of fear, whether it is caused by a movement, a nation, a group of people, or an individual, we need answer that fear along with Micah… Who is like our God?
And don’t forget to deliver the answer with boldness… There is nothing and no one that even comes close… He exceeds them all!