Sermon Central
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I Am With You
Contributed by Rev Purvi Satvedi on Apr 26, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Summary : God is present with his people in Sri Lanka,else where as He has promised to never leave them.
OPEN :
- Why such a pain for my Brothers and Sisters in Sri Lanka?
- Why so much killing..violence ?
- When will God judgment such cruelty ?
- Why did God allow this to happen?
When Rev. Billy Graham was addressed the world, he answered such questions, by saying “I don’t know, …(repeat).. but I accept by faith …. that God… is a God of love, mercy and compassion, even in times of suffering and darkness.”—(repeat)
Today we can stand and say with all assurance that:
Yes, Even though this week, It has been a sad-sad week, Specially for Christians in Sri Lanka and other parts of the world, Yes it has broke our hearts to hear this news and see them crying, but In our Faith : we still say…
“ God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble.” Ps 42:1
AMEN…!
Hebrews 13:5: ‘..for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’
WHEN you watch the news on TV, and see our Brothers and Sisters mourning in Sri Lanka, you see them crying and wailing with such a pain pouring out in their tears. And yes, with such loss any human will react that way, but we also see them praying, while the tears rolling down their cheeks, you see them praying..with that faith ..that….
‘God I know you see all these..’
'God I know that you will never leave me never forsake me..’
‘God I know you … you are there with me.. , and… this is very hard for me… But … You know what I feel .. cause you too been there..’
‘God …. I am not alone…!’
We can read such faith… on those wailing faces .. Such faith in God… even in the mist of the toughest time…! Such time that they have never experience in their lives before.. to have their spouse, their child been killed on spot… in church…!
18 ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’
In this verse and many places in scriptures we see God’s people suffering. Jesus suffered, and was persecuted too. He warned us that those who follow Him, will be persecute also.
But at the same-time, the pain is as real as we can ever imagine. The cry and suffering of His people is increasingly noted in the worldwide news. Yes it hurts - It hurts to see those we thought they were our friends, turn gourd and break our hearts. Our neighbors or class mates or those you work with … you don’t hate them. And their betrayal can break your heart too.
-18 ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’
At times like such, we take refuge in the one who never leaves us and so we pray :
- “ The Lord is my Refuge”
- “ The Lord is my Shepherd”
- Though I walk through the darkest valley of my life.. My God, you are with me…
- You will never leave me never forsake me.
- And…. at the end I know… You are a good - good Father, and you will satisfy me .. with the Best!
- Yes, what Satan has meant for evil. But you God... You will take it, and make it and turn it in GOOD…Yaaa..
You My Lord, You are an expert in making Beauty out of Ashes”
- Yes God, You are bigger than this Big Mountain that has fallen upon us. Yes, You are bigger and greater.
We are taught to call upon him when it feels like there is NO-Way, but we know that He is our way.
Amen.
ILL. On the first anniversary of 9/11, TIME magazine had a article about 31-year old Genelle Guzman. She was the last person caught in the debris of the Twin Towers to be found alive.
After the planes hit, Genelle was descending a staircase from the 64th floor of the North Tower when it all came crashing down around her. Her right leg was pinned under heavy concrete. Her head was caught between stacks of wreckage. But there was an air-pocket around her, & for 27 hours she lay there, trapped & seriously injured.
Genelle had recently started attending church, & had been wanting to get her life turned around. So while she was stuck in the rubble, she started to pray. She would pray for awhile, & then lose consciousness. Over & over again she would wake up & start praying, then trail off, & then wake up & pray some more.
Shortly after noon on Sept. 12th, she heard voices. So she screamed as loud as she could, “I’m here! Hey, I’m right here!” A rescue worker responded, "Where are you? Do you see our lights?" She didn’t.
