“I find comfort in one truth alone; he was with the Lord...”, the man’s voice broke and his eyes filled with tears as he continued speaking about his son that passed on to be with the Father. The man then shared his story of what he lived through in the war, scarcely finding words to describe the pain, fear, danger and uncertainty that his family faced. Yet again and again, he brought his hearers back to one truth: they were not alone, for the Lord was with them through it all.
Missiles whistled overhead; but God’s hand of protection was over their house. Enemy tanks lurked around the street corner, but God turned the cannon in the opposite direction. The street under extreme shelling seemed impossible to pass, but God carried them away from the bullets and shielded them from danger. Time and again, the Lord walked with them and brought them through seemingly impossible circumstances...
As the man spoke, I could see the deep love and adoration he had for God. It was written on his face. It was flowing from his lips. It was evident in his eyes. In truth, it was a bit surreal, because in the flesh, it was hard to imagine such love flowing from someone who came face-to-face with unimaginable injustice. He was wronged in almost every way, and he could have chosen:
Anger
Bitterness
Hate
But God...
so instead he chose:
Love
Truth
Freedom
All because his heart wasn’t his anymore, but God’s...
In what way has God’s love changed the way you minister to others?
Once I truly came to understand my unworthiness and His love, I finally started looking at others with less judgement and more grace. I want to develop the skill of “seeing others in His image” - as this is crucial in ministry and in the Christian life overall.