Victory Out of Tragedy
17 04 2013
Yesterday during the Boston Marathon a victory line became a line of destruction. The horrific pictures of blood stained sidewalks, smoke, and injured people fill our mind. It will be a topic of conversation both today and many days ahead. People without a Biblical worldview will quickly conclude that this is simply another piece of evidence supporting the absence of God’s existence or an absence of God’s control over the world.
In Luke 13:1-5 we find a text to use as a guide for us as believers during times like this. Christ used the “headlines” plucked from the news of that day to create a conversation with unbelievers. In the conversation He answered their questions and brought other news events to their attention. Throughout the conversation He did not allow the tragedy of loss to distract Him from the need of the living.
I urge us to not forget the living who are around us today. The people around us are not just bodies with personalities. They are bodies with souls that will one day spend eternity somewhere. The events of yesterday remind us that death may come to people at a time when and where they least expect it. Life truly is a vapor (James 4:14).
The Gospel is most precious during times like this. It is the clearest evidence that God does truly care for mankind and that He is in control. We have an opportunity before us to present the gospel to souls that may be more attentive then they were two days ago. We have an opportunity to see the power of the gospel at work in the lives of people who believe. We have an opportunity to see God take what seems like a line of destruction (the marathon) and once again turn it into a line of victory through the lives that are gloriously changed through the gospel during this time. Let’s seize the opportunity!
I’m praying today for the families of those whose loved ones were lost or seriously injured. I’m praying for the safety that is only of the Lord for my country, city, and family. I’m also praying for opportunities to give the gospel. — Pastor Ron (John 16:33)
