The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. Psalm 145:18.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:12-16.

I confess this psalm, Psalm 149, brought great turmoil to my spirit this morning. Last night we saw on the news that there had been a shooting at a rally for Donald Trump. His ear was hit by a bullet, an attendee was killed and another was wounded. A spectator at the rally, turned to the cameras, was giving the cameras a hand sign and yelling the words that that sign says. There was fear and anger there and understandably so. In the first Scripture reference was a great and powerful wind tearing mountains and shattering rocks…an earthquake…a fire…destructive elements all and yet God was not in them. Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, was in the gentle whisper. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them – this is the glory of all His faithful people. v. 6-9. In our hands a double-edged sword, vengeance, punishment, binding – are destructive. I don’t have the understanding or the love that God has. But I can go to Him and my hope and faith are restored. Reminded of His will for all of us helps me see the violence and hate for what they are. Rebellion is idolatry and idolatry is rebellion against God. He understands that in ways we cannot fathom. What does our God tell us? Trust Him. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7.

Only God can guard our hearts and minds and bring us the peace that surpasses all understanding when destructive violence rages. I go to Him troubled by many things and in Him I am restored to His peace reminding me in gentle whispers that He is near. I prayed for Donald Trump and for that angry man in the crowd, for the families of those killed and wounded, for all of us so in need of God’s healing love. We are everywhere and our need is great. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. Revelation 22:1-3.

The healing of the nations. That is us. All of us. Thank You, Lord, for so great a Love and for Your mercy and grace, our place of healing.