The Days of Shock and Awe
If you are any years old, you have suffered loss. And depending on what or whom was the reason for your loss, grief can be considerable. It could have been a parent, a sibling, a spouse or friend. It could be anyone and anything we hold dear. Some years back, my son’s dog passed away from cancer and I remember how he reacted to the loss of his pet, deciding not to care for a dog anymore. That lasted a couple of years and then Kreia, his current dog, came into his life.
As I was reading about grief, I came across an article that actually expanded my view of the meaning of grief. The article explained that grief is personal. But, when grief involves many people it becomes lament, which is communal in nature because it is shared among many. Take for example, 9/11. It is more than just a date, it represents a moment in time and history. There was a pall that seem to come over the country as the news of the tragedy spread. I got a call from my daughter as I was shopping at the grocery store. She asked if I had seen the TV, I told her no and she said go home and see what’s going on. When I did get home, I saw what you and millions of Americans saw.
Perhaps you remember the assassination of President John Kennedy. Many of us remember exactly where we were or what we were doing when we heard the news. I was in my afternoon Social Studies class when a teacher ran into the room and told our teacher, “The president’s been shot!” I remember the expressions of grief and the outpouring of national mourning as the caisson pulled the casket of the slain president up Pennsylvania Avenue during the funeral procession.
Unlike the nations of Europe, Asia, and Africa we, the United States as a nation, have yet to know real destruction or severe disruption of our way of life. The United States has never been invaded. Not yet.
In Psalm 137:1-4 we read briefly, “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. v2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, v3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ v4 “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?”
How did this happen? Over a period spanning hundreds of years, the house of Judah or Jews as we know them were exiled into captivity in Babylon for their national sins against God. Despite years of warning and pleas sent to them through several prophets, Judah continued their sin of idol worship and disobedience. But hear this! The prophet Ezekiel was inspired to write the following from God to his people, not because of their prayers and pleadings, but because of his love and promises. Ezekiel 36: 24-26 “”For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all countries and bring you back into your land. v25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from your impurities and from your idols. v26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you, your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
While it is true, there has never been a successful invasion of America on our native soil, that doesn’t mean invasion is impossible. In these times of anxiety, discord, and disappointment in our leaders, remember Paul’s warning to the Ephesians: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”(Ephesian 6:11-12). Continue to pray to God because more than armor, he has given us a heart of love.