Where was Jesus during the Sandy Hook shootings?

“Where was Jesus during the Sandy Hook shootings?”

I believe that Jesus was right there, at the school and in each classroom of Sandy Hook on that day. Why do I believe that? The Bible says that our Father holds the world in His hand; Psalm 139 tells us there is no where we can go where the Spirit of the Lord is not already there. Hebrews 13:5 tells us that Jesus promises to never leave us or abandon us. Where was Jesus that day? Right there in the middle of it.

Why didn’t Jesus stop the shooter from doing those horrific things that day? Why didn’t He prevent that young man from shooting those children and staff at Sandy Hook? I can’t answer that question completely but I can give some thoughts.

·         How often does Jesus make each of us pick up the Bible and read about Him and find the peace and direction that we so often seek?

·         How often does Jesus make us pull into the church parking lot instead of the running errands or sleeping in?

·         How often does Jesus make us stop swearing and using His precious and powerful Name in vain?

·         How often does Jesus make us stop watching, reading and participating in things that do not bring Him honor or do anything good for our own lives or the lives of those we influence?

·          How often doe Jesus make us love Him and follow Him and bring Him honor?

If we enjoy the freedom to choose Jesus or ignore Him or believe that He is not really a part of this world, why do we question His lack of involvement during tragic times like this? The same Jesus, who does not make you or me love Him and follow, did not make Adam Lanza choose Him. Why didn’t Jesus intervene? I cannot answer that question but I can say with confidence that Jesus did many things that day that we will never know this side of Heaven.

So where was Jesus during the Sandy Hook shootings? He was with the teachers and staff of Sandy Hook as they had the presence of mind to hide those children and in some cases stand in the way for those children. He was with those same teachers and staff as they spoke words of encouragement, love and instructions as shots were heard. He gave those teachers and staff strength, wisdom and courage. He brought peace to those children. Where there should have been chaos, crying and screaming there was quiet, love and peace. I will never forget the words of that young teacher interviewed by Diane Sawyer that thought that the last things these children should hear was that they were loved. So she told each of them, “I love you and I am very proud of you.” Jesus was there.

Jesus was there when the father of Emily stood up in front of reporters probably from around the world and proclaimed forgiveness for Adam Lanza and stated that he and his family were praying for Adam’s family because he couldn’t imagine what they were feeling. That father was Jesus in front of all those reporters and in front of the world. I hope that I would be able to so quickly display love, grace and forgiveness so soon after such a horrific time in my life. He was Jesus in that moment.

Do I wish that horrific day had not happened? MOST DEFINITELY!

But I know Jesus was there.

using the Sword of the Spirit

Over the past few weeks we have looked at the verses in Philippians 4:4-7 in terms of your own heart as you pray for others. Today I want to flip that around a bit and give an example of how to pray these same scriptures over someone or yourself in times of need. What does it mean to pray over someone? Prayer in my mind is a way of bringing Christ and His Spirit into a situation, an invitation into someone’s life and even your own life. Our prayer is like a spiritual covering, blanketing that person or yourself with peace, love and power through the prayers you pray.

Our prayers are also a spiritual battle. When we confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will saved (Romans 10:9). At this very time of confession and belief, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. Therefore, we have a battle between what we would naturally do in our lives and what the Holy Spirit would like us to do. As we fight this battle every day we need weapons. Ephesians 6 speaks of the armor of God. In that armor there is one weapon and it is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. When we go to pray for ourselves or those that requested our prayers, we are going to battle. What better weapon than the Word of God, our powerful sword!

“Lord Jesus, You ask us to rejoice in You and again rejoice. I pray, Lord, that _______ would be able to rejoice at this time. Remind him of Your character and truths he has learned while reading and hearing Your Word. You are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Help him to remember this and rejoice in this truth and other truths he has learned, even if he cannot at this time rejoice in his current situation. Help me to be gentle and loving towards _______ when we meet. Give me Your understanding and love so I might be a help to him, when he seeks it. Thank You, Lord, that You are near and that You are willing and able to help in this situation. Help ______ to know and believe that You are near to him. Open his eyes that he may see evidence of You, his ears that he may hear You and his heart that he may receive the truths and comforts You are sending him and know and believe that You are near. Help him to surrender his anxiety about this situation to You. Remind of Your faithfulness to him in the past, answers to prayers and provisions, so that he may come to You with a heart of thankfulness as he seeks Your help. Right now in the days to come may he be blanketed by Your peace. Peace that he cannot explain that covers him completely. Help ______ to recognize that this peace comes from You, so that once again he may recognize Your provision, even as he waits for You to take care of this problem for him. Help him not to just come to You for a resolution of this problem but to come to You for help, peace, power and comfort during this time. Give him the strength he needs to wait on You during this time.”

Notice that I did not address the prayer request but prayed for the person using this passage of scripture. Many times during our trials Jesus is working on our hearts to perfect us as the Bible explains in many places but also in Philippians 1:6. After you have prayed for the person and his/her heart and ability to receive from Christ what He is trying to send to this person, most definitely pray for the situation or incorporate the request in the prayer as you pray for the person’s heart.

The Word of God is powerful and sharper than a two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Use it in strength and power as you pray for yourself and others.

Peace that transcends all understanding

In the past weeks we have been looking closely at each verse in the passage of Philippians 4:4-7. I think that at times it is good to go through passages slowly for better understanding and meditation. The final verse in this passage is something that I believe is accomplished after the previous recommendations have been followed.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This is not to say that the peace of God will not find you unless you follow “x,y, and z.” However, in regard to this passage Paul is telling us that as we come to the Lord in prayer in the way he has instructed the result will be a peace that we cannot explain that will guard our hearts and minds.

Wow! Our God is certainly amazing! He asks us to intercede on behalf of others. He tells us how to do it. Then He tells us that He will give us a peace that is indescribable and will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Again I must reiterate here that whatever Christ requires or asks, He also provides the means to do. Remember there was a “disturbance” in their church because of two women fighting. Paul instructs the body to pray. After this church prays in the way Paul suggests, he informs them that they will find peace and protection. And all of this comes from Jesus Christ Himself!

The cares and prayer requests of those we love and serve can, at times, be heavy to bear. We have the possibility of becoming vulnerable to agitation, fear, overwhelming sadness or worry, when we are given prayer requests. We must remember that we come on behalf of others out of love for them and for our Lord. We boldly come before the Throne of God with these precious requests and we leave them right there, at His feet. We are making a deposit, so to speak. We come and give Him the concern and request and leave it at His feet to handle the result. We come concerned and sometimes heavy or even weeping for those we pray for and then how to we leave His Throne Room? We leave with a peace that transcends all understanding that also gives our hearts and our minds protection.

It strikes me that as I read this last paragraph over again, it clearly comes from a woman's heart or at least this woman's heart that so easily empathizes with others. But as I think how my husband may come (I have not asked him if this is accurate), I could see him coming in strength and protection for those he is praying for. He would not come necessarily weeping but ready to do battle. I also can see him leaving still ready for battle and trying to figure out how best to conquer this battle. This person too must leave with peace and protection. The battle is the Lord's. You come in strength ready to go to battle for others, leave the quest at His feet and leave in peace knowing that this General is mighty and strong and will care for His people. When and if He asks for your assistance, you will know it. But your part in the battle at this time is done. You have left the concern at His feet, leave in peace.

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

Our prayers are precious to Jesus

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

There are times when we come to the Lord with prayers and intercessions that we find ourselves anxious about the situation or person we are praying for especially if it involves us and/or someone we care about. Here Paul instructs us to be anxious for no thing.

There is nothing too big for our God, nothing our God cannot handle. He has promised to never leave or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). He says in His Word in many places that He does listen to us and hear our prayers. Revelations 5:8 and 8:3-4 speak of the prayers of the saints being presented to God in His throne room in a golden bowl as incense. God not only hears our prayers, they are placed in a golden bowl (a place of honor) as incense next to Him for Him to breathe them in and make them a part of who He is. Our prayers are precious to Him. We have nothing to be anxious for because our God cares for us and loves us (1 Peter 5:7). We and our requests are important to Him.

Paul also instructs us to come with thanksgiving. Over the years this part of intercession has become easier for me but when I first started coming to the Lord in the way Paul is instructing us, this part was difficult. I couldn't and still am not always able to come with a heart thankful for the prayer requests I am praying about. Some requests are too painful to be thankful for at the initial time of intercession. But as I prayed through this verse and asked God for clarification it became clear to me that God understood my pain and difficulty in not always being thankful for the trials and tribulations I was praying for. What then started to roll through my mind was the many blessings, times of faithfulness, and answers to prayer God had given to me in the past. These things I could be thankful for. If I could remember and be thankful for past answers and evidences of His faithfulness to me and those I prayed for, I could now come to Him with these current requests with a thankful heart.  

Come to the Throne Room with confidence, hope, gentleness, without anxiety and present your requests to Jesus with a thankful heart knowing and remembering His faithfulness and love for you and those you pray for today.

praying with a spirit of gentleness

Well the next verse in Philippians 4 is vs 5 but I wasn't sure how this might apply to us so I was going to skip it…it didn't feel right. So I looked at this verse a little closer and realized as people committed to pray for others especially if we are part of a prayer team, this verse can definitely apply to us. Prayer requests come from people and people can sometimes get on our nerves especially if they have the same prayer requests over and over again and appear to make no changes. We can very easily get annoyed and impatient with people and  their requests for help. We can even fall into comparing their lives and requests to our own. We are not immune to troubles and needs in our own lives and if someone is struggling with a situation that you would be blessed to have to deal with compared to your own struggles, we can develop the wrong attitude. So are you getting this or am I just rambling?

Remember that Paul started this chapter encouraging the Philippians to pray for two women that were arguing. Okay I’m a woman so I have a bit more freedom here but some women can always be arguing and being unkind to each other! Can you imagine the chaos these women were causing and now Paul was asking the church to pray for them and the situation? Now…

Philippians 4:5 “Let your gentleness (moderation, restraint, or patience) be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

We have just entered the throne room of the Most High God on behave of those who have asked us to pray. We have rejoiced over who He is. Now we come with those requests. We must come with gentleness of spirit, restraint of personal feelings and patience that Jesus Himself has generously bestowed on us. These character traits must be evident to all as we pray and minister to others.

The best part of this sometimes difficult instruction is the last part of the verse – “the Lord is near.” As always Jesus never asks us to do anything that He does not already provide the power to do. Gentleness, moderation, restraint and patience are not always easy but fear not, worry not, despair not! Jesus is near. He is our ever present help in time of need, even if the help needed is in praying for others in a way that brings Him honor and is a blessing to those near us and those needing prayer.

What a wonderful God we serve! Thank You Jesus for Your never ending grace and love towards us. We are a blessed people!

Praying with true hope

Where does our help come from? Our help comes from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and Earth! Praise be to our God, who was and is and is to come!

These are some of the truths we must remember as we bring our prayer requests to the throne room of God, our Savior and King. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we may enter the Holy of Holies, the throne room of the Almighty God with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). We also enter with hope. Hope that comes from the truth that we believe in:

·         We will be heard

·         He will remember our prayers and those we pray for

·         He has our best interest in mind even though His thoughts and ways our greater than ours and beyond our understanding, He has our best interest in mind

·         He brings all things together for good to those who love Him

·         His love never fails

·         He has not nor will He ever forget us or abandon us

The list could go on and on for all eternity. Praise God that He is indescribable.

Our hope does not lie in our ability to understand our God and His ways completely but our hope lies in His Word and His character. Remember this as you pray for yourself and others in your life. Pray hope over yourself and them. Pray that each recognizes, sees, hears and believes in that hope! Difficult times can cloud our hearts and minds and prevent us from remembering to whom we put our trust and why; leaving us feeling hopeless and afraid and angry. Allow God to pour out His hope over you as you pray so that you may pray hope over the people that are having difficulty tapping into hope.

Remember that our hope does not lie in the answer to the prayer and the timing of that answer. Our hope lies in Christ and His power to sustain us and help in our time of need. We have no idea how God will answer our prayers. We have no idea what His exact plans are for those wer pray for. We pray for answers and miracles where these reqests are concerned because we pray to a God of miracles that are alive and strong today! We must, however, remember that our hope does not lie in those answers, miracles and solutions and our ideas of the timing of these things.

          Our hope lies in the God of Creation, the everlasting Father, the One who is enthroned and will remain enthroned forever, Christ who died for us and shed His blood for us that we may live with Him forever in glory! Amen!

Psalm 33

²⁰ We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

Rejoice

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, 'Rejoice!'"

Paul is teaching the Philippians to pray for each other, specifically a conflict between two women in their fellowship. This passage, Philippians 4:4-9 has been used many times in the teaching about interceding for each other and also for ourselves. I would like to spend some time here over the next few weeks, as we take the requests to the Lord in our prayer times .

As we pray, it is sometimes difficult to rejoice. The requests and situations are sometimes overwhelming and heartbreaking. We may find ourselves going naturally to how can I hep? Can this situation be solved? We empathize with the person or sympathize with each of them. But rejoice? No, sometimes that never comes until the prayer is answered in some way and some measure of victory is had. Yet, Paul tells us to start out rejoicing. In what are we to rejoice?

                                                   "Rejoice in the LORD... 
                                                                             ALWAYS
                                                                        and AGAIN I say: 
                                                                                 REJOICE!"

Most situations are difficult to rejoice over. But we can and are instructed to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice over the character and promises of Jesus.

Begin your prayer time rejoicing over who you know Jesus to be. He is our Lord and Savior. He is and will forever be our King. He is enthroned over all the universe - chaos and all. He will be forever enthroned. Nothing and no one can shake that power and authority!

His is a loving, kind, gentle and the bringer of peace. He promises to never leave us (Hebrews 13:5); to be our ever present help in time of need (Psalm 46:1). So as you pray, start out rejoicing in the Lord. Who He is and what He will do these situations!

How to Pray

Excerpt from A Taste of Joy written by Daphne DeMaris and Renee Richter

How to Pray 

Approach with hearts of humility…
How do we come before the throne of grace speaking to a God who is so holy we can’t be in His presence?

We come before Him with humble hearts seeking help from Him who is able to help us in our time of need. Some may say that having humility is not always required to pray but even the decision to pray represents the fact that we realize we can’t do it on our own and we need His help. This is humility in its simplest form.

“Lord, I need you.”
“Lord, this person needs you and I don’t know how to help.”

Even thanking Him for something and recognizing His glory, as when you see nature in all of its splendor. You are realizing in your own heart that this beautiful scene before you is no accident, it required something much bigger. In humility you are admitting there is a higher being, God, responsible for all of this.

Proverbs 3:34 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

With a spirit of humility comes relaxation. Why relaxation? Because as we grow in our walk with Jesus we realize how little we can do for ourselves. When we attempt to care for ourselves and those we are responsible for by ourselves without Jesus and the help He offers us, we get STRESSED. There is no relaxation because we have a job to do and it’s hard. But when we come to the Lord for help in our time of need, every day and every minute of the day at times, we are coming in humility. We are admitting that we need Him and we can’t do it on our own. This humility can lead us to relaxation, if we go to Him and lay it in His more than capable hands. We are no longer facing the demands of this life on our own but with His help and guidance. This dear brother and sister will lead us to peace, glorious peace.

Isaiah 66:12 For this is what the Lord says: “I will extend peace to her like a river.”

How does God represent peace? __________________________

Better: What does peace look like for you? _________________

Doesn’t that sound glorious? We don’t get a little taste of peace to whet our appetite, we get the whole river! So the next time you think you can handle this life and its demands on your own, do a peace check and remember to come to the throne of God with humility. Then turn around and dive into your river of peace. It’s been waiting for you.