Thanks Claudia. I was also thinking about Ray's comment:
There are many many things in life that are very hard to accept and deal with in our weakened spiritual state. I cannot, after all this time, get the images of the Twin Towers collapsing on thousands of people, out of my mind. Or maybe even worse, the men, women and children in the four planes that knew they were destined to a violent disintegration in fire! I get teary-eyed every time I think of it. It is extremely traumatic to contemplate.
I saw the other day on TV a classical music program which mentioned the Nazi regime and showed footage of the Holocaust. One video showed them mass burying the Jews and they used a bulldozer to push the dead into a ditch like they were just a pile of rubbish. I can't get that image out of my head and find it hard to comprehend such evil like that. Imagine if that was your loved family members - how do you deal with that. I'm not sure how I would deal with it, it seems to terrifying to imagine. What makes it even worst the Nazi's would be smiling and laughing while this was going on. Just seems so evil to me and I get teary-eyed as well just thinking about it.
Rhys
Hello brothers and sisters!
Rhys, to quote you "I'm not sure how I would deal with it", I think by now we know HOW we would deal with a similar situation: with unshakable faith. We might be advised to follow in the footsteps of three men of faith from the Old Testament: Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego.
Daniel 3:8-18
8 Some Babylonians used this as a chance to accuse the Jews to King Nebuchadnezzar. 9 They said, “Your Majesty, we hope you live forever! 10 You commanded everyone to bow down and worship the gold statue when the music played. 11 And you said that anyone who did not bow down and worship it would be thrown into a flaming furnace. 12 Sir, you appointed three men to high positions in Babylon Province, but they have disobeyed you. Those Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refuse to worship your gods and the statue you have set up.”
13 King Nebuchadnezzar was furious. So he sent for the three young men and said, 14 “I hear that you refuse to worship my gods and the gold statue I have set up. 15 Now I am going to give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue when you hear the music, everything will be all right. But if you don’t, you will at once be thrown into a flaming furnace. No god can save you from me.”
16 The three men replied, “Your Majesty, we don’t need to defend ourselves. 17 The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. 18 BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T, WE STILL WON’T WORSHIP YOUR GODS AND THE GOLD STATUE YOU HAVE SET UP.”
We might not control the circumstances of how we will die, but we can or should, with the enabling of God, have the godly attitude necessary to face death and be steadfast in our faith in Him. Of course it's easier said than done.
May God grant us the strength and faith we need to have as sons and daughters that we are of Him to face all that is coming to each one of us.
Roger.