Disrupting Peace
In the opening pages of the Bible, God tells us that He
created everything good, very good. Earth was a paradise and He placed two
people in a garden to tend it. This environment was perfect. Every human need
was accounted for. The deepest longings of the human heart, a closeness to
their Creator, was satisfied as He walked and talked with them daily.
They only had one rule to live by, don’t eat from one tree,
but everything else is fair game. Could you imagine? Only one law? Seems to be
easy. Life was good, the garden was peaceful.
Then one day, like a plane striking a tower in the early
hours of the morning, a forbidden fruit was plucked and devoured. The ripple
effects of that decisions have brought devastation like a hurricane on the
course of human history.
This video captures a brief glimpse of this devastation (Disturbed’s
cover of Sound of Silence with pictures of 9/11)
Today marks the 18th anniversary of the largest
attack on America. In our series on music, I want to explore the power of song
to capture the emotion and feel of that day. The images of this video capture
snapshots of that day, but cannot convey the true horror that happened, only
echoes.
How does the song make you feel as you listen to it? How do the images affect you? Why does the song resonate with the pictures (if it does)?
A song like "Sound of Silence," written by Paul Simon of
Simon & Garfunkel in 1964, “‘plays’ with the imaginary of darkness and light
to represent people’s inability to communicate, which has been destroyed by
their detachment and ignorance (Vale).”
“The main message is extremely simple. We have to
look around, to listen to each other, to pay attention to each other. “Silence
like a cancer grows” and if people keep feeding the world with ignorance and
selfishness, there will be no meaningful future. Inequalities, discrimination,
violence and war – this is what happens when we don’t care about each other. So
don’t be “Fools” and “Hear my words that I might teach you”. Wake up and pay
attention (Vale).”
From the first selfish act in the Garden, the sin has been
passed along from our first parents to every person ever born (Romans 5:12).
The truth is this, we are “not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are
sinners.” On a day such as today, to remember 9/11 is to remember acts of hate
and violence. It is a clear picture of how desperately wicked the human heart
really is and the devastation that brings to our souls.
The Reality of
Brokenness
The Bible does not glaze over or remain silent about the brokenness
of this world. Over and over again, it contains stories and teachings that
demonstrate this reality. Consider king David’s words in Psalm 13:
[1] How
long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How
long will you hide your face from me?
[2] How
long must I take counsel in my soul
and
have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long
shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Psalm 13:1–2
It’s as if David experienced the aftermath of a terror
strike. He’s feeling abandoned, confused, alone and God seems to be silent in his
desperation. Have you ever experienced a disruption in your faith like this?
Where are you God? If You are all powerful, how can this
evil happen?
The evidence of brokenness reverberates throughout creation
as a reminder that things are not the way they ought to be. And indeed, since
the Fall, we have come a long way from all things being very good.
Broken but Not
Abandoned
If we look to the Scriptures, we will see that the Fall of
mankind did not take God by surprise. He wasn’t confused or overwhelmed by the
sinfulness of man. Instead we see a God who knew that humankind would turn
their backs on Him and yet put a plan into motion to rescue them.
What this meant for God was that the Creator Himself was
going to enter into our brokenness, into our world. Jesus, the Son of God, born
of a virgin, was completely sinless, yet he was touched by the brokenness of
this world. Jesus understands what it’s like to be overwhelmed by the brokenness
of this world, especially since he knew what it would cost Him to redeem it.
Matthew 26:38–39
[38] Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even
to death; remain here, and watch with me.” [39] And going a little farther he
fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Once again, we find our story in a garden. Our first parents
were cast out of Eden for their rebellion. Here our Savior is in a garden
praying. He is sorrowful and wanting “this cup” to pass. Have you ever gone
through something that you just wanted to over with? “Please God, remove this from
me!”
Yet, Jesus posture was that of a willingness to do what was
necessary to fulfill the Father’s plan to redeem humanity.
From the garden we hear again from Jesus on the Cross:
Matthew 27:46
[46] And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud
voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?” (ESV)
Jesus, though the Son of God, was human as well. In His
humanity, at His darkest hour, He felt what David wrote in Psalm 13:1-2, He
felt what you feel when you feel you are abandoned by God. He cries out, “God,
where are you?”
I believe He cried this out because He felt those words, but
I also believe He cried them out to point us to Psalm 22. It’s a reminder that
in the darkest hour, God still has a plan. It may not be visible in the
immediate, but in God’s timing, we will see what He is doing.
A few short days later, this is what was said of Jesus:
Matthew 28:5–6
[5] But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for
I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has
risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. (ESV)
The Son of God entered our broken space, He took upon
Himself our sins, went to the cross to die, was buried and overcame death! This
is the first work of recovering what was lost, of restoring what was broken. It
is the beginning of things yet to come, but is also our anchor for today.
Hope in the
Resurrected Lord
Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have hope in this
world. When we see the devastation of 9/11, or we are overwhelmed by the
stresses of this life, Jesus wants us to know that He has not forgotten us.
John 16:33
[33] I have said these things to you, that in me you may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have
overcome the world.” (ESV)
He reminds us that there is an enemy that is seeking to
disrupt our peace, but He has a plan for us, and desires us to experience true
life.
John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came
that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (ESV)
Living in this Reality
To believe in Jesus does not mean that everything is going
to be easy, peaceful and good. We still live in a broken and fallen world. It
doesn’t mean we won’t have days where we struggle to understand. We will still
have moments where we question where God is, like king David did.
But we also have to learn from king David’s response to his
own questions:
[5] But I
have trusted in your steadfast love;
my
heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
[6] I will
sing to the LORD,
because
he has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13:5–6
“If your faith rests in your idea of how God is supposed to
answer your prayers . . . then that kind of faith is very shaky and is bound to
be demolished when the storms of life hit it. But if your faith rests on the
character of him who is the eternal I AM, then that kind of faith is rugged and
will endure.” Elizabeth Elliot
Acknowledge your struggles before God, admit your doubts and
your frustrations, but don’t stay there. Remind yourself of who God is. Think
back to what He has done. Remember what Jesus was willing to do out of love for
you. Consider the promises that He has for you.
So in your recognition of the brokenness, remember His call
to continue on going, to be faithful. You Just Gotta Live.
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