His Mercy Endures Forever

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." - ! Chr 16:34

My heart is heavy with sorrow, with disbelief, and with an intensely gripping worry over the state of the world in which we live. It seems like every day there is a new threat to our well-being both individually and collectively. Anger, hatred, oppression, and senseless violence hang over our heads, permeating our thoughts... an ominous storm threatening to destroy everything in its path. I'll admit I don't like storms, and I'm afraid of the dark.

That paragraph was written eight years ago. Eight! It was part of a monthly newsletter article I wrote for the church I was a member of at the time. I happened to come across it when I was looking for another article I had written, one I was going to share with one of my daughters.

I was taken aback by how relevant those words of nearly a decade ago applied to the weariness I feel today.

Wars on two fronts wear on. Venemous speech spews over social media. I can't even... with the political spin. Hurricanes ravage. There is so much evil. So much sickness. So much death.

So. Much. Overwhelming. Loss.

It's easy to say as a believer, "God is good," when life and limb, and family, and home are good... and safe, and sound. But what do we say when life falls apart? What do we say when darkness descends, when storms rage?

We still say, "God is good," for we know He surely is. We know He surely loves us. We know He surely cares. We say it through tears. We say it keeping vigil at the bedside of our loved ones. We say it standing at gravesides. We say it helping neighbors and strangers pick up the pieces of their lives after devastating storms. We say it getting "the diagnosis" from our doctor.

We say it because we can believe everything God has ever said to us.

We say it because of the proof of Calvary,

We say it even when we don't understand the "why" because we trust the "Who."

My heart is overcome with grief for those families on our east coast who have lost everything.

Everything!

I have never known that kind of loss. I have experienced some loss in my life. I have experienced some difficulty, but I have never experienced what so many of these dear people have recently endured.

This world and all the tragedies that play out day after day can make us heartsick. They are reminders of the fallen world in which we live... the fallen state of mankind. But they also serve to remind us that this is not our home, at least not our permanent home. There is one waiting, one being prepared for us that is greater than we could ever imagine. In that home there is nothing but joy.

Joy everlasting.

No more wars. No hatred. No destruction. No sickness. No death... no tears.

I long for that place. Sometimes even more acutely than others. I hate storms. I hate the dark.

Thanks be to God that we have One who stills the storm. One who is the Light. He is our refuge. He is our safety and our strength. His mercy endures forever.

I'm going to leave you with a portion of the last paragraph of the same article:

Every age, every era has seen its share of evil deeds and horrific tragedies. Yet, Christ and His kingdom have prevailed. God always prevails. Satan often unleahes his fury on us full force like a hurricane, throwing everything he's got at us. It's enough to make us panic, to forget Who is really in control. When the devil raves, Jesus comes. He comes to us walking on water, stilling the storm, taking our hand in His and lifting us. This is our hope. This is our salvation. This is the truth of which we can remind ourselves. No matter how dismal the times, how dark the nights, or how depressing the news... we have the Light, and in that Light, no darkness can stand.

Please join me, continuing steadfastly in prayer for all those affected by these recent storms as well as those whose storms rage in their own personal lives.

Jesus, tender Shepherd hear me; Bless Thy little lamb tonight.

Through the darkness be Thou near me; Keep me safe til morning light.