In the aftermath of 9/11, I preached from this text. The unconscionable violence and devaluation of human life made evident in the terrorist’s actions of that day raised questions about the future, causing many to declare that nothing would ever be the same because of what happened that day. I suppose there was truth in those words for no one who watched on television, listened on the radio, or witnessed the events personally as they happened, could turn away as if nothing happened.
Terrorism, in any form, succeeds through fear and intimidation. If a person, group, or nation is paralyzed by fear, the bright light of hope becomes dimmed, even hidden behind the seeming strength and power of the oppressor. Verses one and three of this thirty-seventh Psalm say, “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong…Trust in the LORD and do good.” Our hope as people of faith for deliverance is ultimately not in the government, military, or any human agency or institution. “Hope in the LORD,” the Psalmist writes in verse 34, “and keep his way.” The temptation will always be to stoop to the level of the oppressor, but the future does not lie in the hands of those who do evil… the future belongs to persons of peace.
“Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said, “for they will be called children of God.” That is the future I want to believe in.
Prayer: Help me be a peacemaker, O God, in a world where fear and intimidation are often wielded as weapons of strength. Amen.
Jim Abernathy
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