Left Behind

Unless you have lost a child, you cannot possibly imagine the pain suffered by the parents and families of the – oh, so young – military men and women who died recently in Kabul. Adding to the tragedy is the sense that the whole situation has been mishandled, to put it mildly, and that, had our leadership been more competent, the outcomes might have been different.

You and I might not be the ones suffering personal loss right now, but judging from the public outpouring of shock, anger, grief, and bitterness, I’d say much of America still feels deeply about recent events. We’re feeling betrayed, sad, helpless, fearful, angry, and indignant, just for starters. Some of the comments being repeated on social media and in the news are really intense.

I begin to wonder what the Christian’s response needs to be, or does it matter? Expressing indignation releases our pent-up frustration. We feel better when we can vent our spleen in conversation with friends and family. Even shouting at the big-screen TV brings momentary relief. As in any situation, though, we need to ask, “Is my response godly?”

The Apostle Paul warned his protégée Timothy to “avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly” (2 Timothy 2:16). How much of our conversation these days falls into the “godless chatter” category? Perhaps, as Paul reminds the Thessalonians, our words should “encourage one another and build each other up” instead. That includes praying for each other, and for our military personnel and others in trouble, of course. I believe we’ll find that praying together is a better stress reliever than complaining, venting, or ranting. It’s a more effective strategy, too, since it brings us into the presence of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and wants us to turn to Him in times of distress. He can use us to bring about His purposes when we submit our wills to His.

We can also look to our Savior for examples of how to handle emotional and physical pressure. Obviously, for Jesus, godliness was the go-to. Read the gospels. He never indulged in “godless chatter”. Every word He spoke was Truth. He spoke peace to every shattered heart that came His way. We see Jesus’ righteous anger only when His Father’s glory was challenged: by the self-righteous religious leaders, or the money-changers doing sordid business in God’s House. Our worldly indignation pales in comparison.

Don’t you think God is grieved by the faithlessness of mankind? Just because all the problems aren’t fixed in a blink doesn’t mean He is weak, or distracted, or on vacation. Zephaniah knew this: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves” (Zeph. 3:17). Unfortunately, people are free to make really bad choices, and we suffer the consequences. Somebody is making some really bad choices in our time, but chattering about it doesn’t solve the problems. When we take our concerns to the Lord instead, He will deal with them in His perfect timing. Meanwhile, we can pray for our political, military, and cultural leaders to experience changed hearts. God has a plan to redeem as many as will turn to Him.

Here’s a final thought about our response to these mind-boggling current events. Those Christian believers left behind in Afghanistan are in terrible physical danger, but remember, they are also under the care of their mighty Lord and Savior. We can – and should – be on our knees, praying for God’s will to be done in their lives. We beseech our Lord to preserve them, but if not, that He will give them grace to fearlessly proclaim the Gospel until He takes them home: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

Our response to current events does matter. God can use us for good. We just have to consider if what we say and do moves the Kingdom of God forward, or just relieves our own tension. Even if the future seems distressing, we can find peace before the throne of our Heavenly Father, who hears our cries, and gives us strength through His Holy Spirit to carry on – and more: to lift others up!

Standing with you,

Carolyn

To respond to this post, comment below, OR send me an email to: standinggroundblog@gmail.com.