Scripture Passages: Psalm 11:1-4, Psalm 46, I Corinthians 16:13-14 Sermon: “What Now, God?” 1. Last week was the twelfth anniversary of 9/11. Life for us as a nation has never been the same. I watched the documentaries again this week of that terrible day. They still give me chills. Every time those kinds of moments occur the first thing we usually do is ask, “Why?”. I’ve noticed God isn’t always big on answering that one. Sometimes long after the traumatic event we may begin to get glimpses of the good that God brought from them, but a clear answer isn’t always forthcoming. Sometimes we can see how we have allowed something to happen because we stopped following God, or stopped listening to His directives, like Israel had done just before the exile occurred. Usually that is all hindsight however. 2. I have found that there is one question God is very good at answering, a question that may be even more helpful than “Why?”. God is good at answering, “What now?”. In Scripture He does it all the time. The freed slaves have their backs against the Red Sea with Egyptian chariots heading for them. What now? Now the sea opens up for them to walk across. The people need a Savior to release them from the darkness of sin and death. Now what? Now a Light comes into the world named Jesus! Psalm 11 asks, “What can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed?” Rev. Billy Graham noted that the foundations of the Twin Towers were still intact when he spoke of the event. All other foundations may be destroyed, and that is when we remember that we always stand on the Firm Foundation! As long as we have a foundation, we can rebuild. Psalm 46 reminds us that God is our refuge and strength. Ask yourself in the midst of trauma, “Is my Foundation still intact? Is God still on the throne and is Jesus still my Lord and is the Holy Spirit still with me?”. If you can answer yes, all will be alright. Then the Psalmist reminds us, because of that we will not fear! Finally, the Psalmist reminds us that God has been there for us in the past. God still claims sovereignty over all the nations and He has been and still is our Refuge and Strength! The New Testament gives us some great advice also for facing a crisis. The Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians to, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, be courageous and strong, and let all you do be done in love.” That last one, love, is our greatest asset. We do not let hatred have its way. We do not lose our humanity when others have thrown theirs away. We continue to love. One question we can depend on having answered is, “What now, God?” The easy answer is that we keep being His beloved sons and daughters. Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 14:53:23 +0000