From Ben – 31 July 2016
The news this past week has shocked me deeply. An 84-year-old priest was murdered in cold blood in his church while he was going about his ministry. This happened in a small town in France in front of a small but faithful congregation of worshippers. This is a new all-time low for ISIS. France is still reeling after the November attack and more recently the truck attack of just 12 days ago, where 80 innocent members of the public were killed.
We are living in despondent days where all that we know as freedom, democracy and decency is under attack. But as Christians we do not lose heart or lose faith. These are the days that we must cling to our God in faith, trusting him, in spite of the madness gripping our world. Let us remember that Jesus prophesied that this type of lawlessness would be evident in the end times.
Let these tragic events spur us on to pray for the afflicted. Let us remember that this troubled world is not our home. We look for a city whose maker and builder is God the Lord. Let us live before others as people of hope, faith, trust and love showing that in Christ we have a hope and faith that is beyond this life and this fallen planet.