THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 2:13-18
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18 quoting Jeremiah 31:15)
Imagine the trauma and grief, all the young sons in a region slaughtered.
‘Weeping and great mourning’ hardly seems enough to convey the excruciating horror.
Many times throughout history – and still today – these kind of atrocities occur.
I saw a Jewish school in Holland with a sign in the window from WW2, ‘the children are no more’.
Jeremiah’s words are part of a prophecy where God says He will restore His children to the land.
Rachel’s (Jacob/Israel’s wife) weeping is the beginning of the birth pangs for God’s rescue operation.
Hell is unleashed on earth by satanic deception and human agency, but heaven is not doing nothing.
God is stepping into the mess we made to set things right, but the darkness will not go down quietly.
Life in the present world will continue to experience the horrors of sin and death.
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
We hang on by faith, but in addition to faith we need to hang on those who suffer and grieve.
We need to weep with them, and share their burden with them, and if possible offer aid.
Like God, we join in the mess, we do not sit on the sidelines doing nothing.
Though we can’t do everything, we can do something… will we?
It starts with tears, but it can’t stop there.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I am overwhelmed by all the suffering. Remind me that it is Satan’s intent to overwhelm me into inaction. Help me to weep with those who weep, but also to do what I can to support them.