Out of the Ashes We'll Rise

In current times it's hard to go about our day without being fearful, I mean with everything that has recently happened in Oregon, Paris, California, and all the crap in-between it really is so easy to give into that fear that paralyzes us.  The other day my mother came to me and asked if I had heard of the mass shooting that had taken place in California, I said I hadn't so of course I turned on the news and to my horror over fourteen people had been shot and killed.  I got really angry because I am so tired of seeing all of these horrific acts being committed, seeing innocent life being taken like life is meaningless, like it's worthless.  I started turning my anger towards God and I left to be in a room alone where I could really just sit down and ask him, why?!  After I stopped shaking my fist at God I finally just sat in silence for awhile and he spoke peace into my heart:  "out of the ashes springs life" I finished my day filled with peace and fell asleep calmly that night.  In the morning when I woke up I realized that God wasn't done with me and I felt this sudden urge to start digging around in my Bible.  I kept getting stuck in Genesis reading about that creation and fall of man.  Then God lead me right where I needed to be, the story of Cain and Abel.
Genesis chapter 4 is where we really see for the first time man's willingness to take innocent life.  Cain let jealousy rule over his life and he took his own brothers life because of it.  I love that the Lord sent me here because as I read on I really got to see the picture of God's grace and plan that arose from this horrific act. Where is the grace?  Where is the plan?  The answer is simple:  Seth.  New Life.  Genesis 4:25 says: Adam's wife gave birth to another son.  She named him Seth, for she said, "God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed." As a mother I can't even imagine the pain Eve felt when she came to knowledge of her son Abel being killed by her oldest son.  In reality she lost two sons that day and I bet the pain was unbearable.  But years later she is blessed with another son, Seth, Hebrew for Anointed; Compensation and she was overjoyed.  God saw Eve and her husbands hurt and gave them new life.  I think it's so important to take note of the grace, the grace, the grace that God shows us in the thick of such tragedy.
One more thing to take away from this is Genesis chapter 5 where we start to see the decedents of Adam. Genesis 5:3 says this:  "After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters."  Then it goes on to talk about the decedents of Adam.  So here is where it gets very important, if we now follow the line of Seth we will find that Noah is a direct decedent of Seth.  So even though Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters after Seth it was distinctly Seth's line that produced Noah.  It would take me two days to write out the whole line of decendents and it would make your head spin but by reading further we start to understand that Noah's bloodline leads to Abraham which leads to Issac which leads to Jacob which leads to David which leads to Jesus Christ.  Whew ok that was a lot but do you see the connection here? I guess what I am trying to say is that during that horrific day when a man's life was taken by his own brother and murder was committed for the first time GOD HAD A PLAN! You can read Genesis 4 and stop right there and become angry at God for allowing such a thing to happen.  Or you can go on and see how it points so very straight to Jesus and the ultimate once and for all salvation that he brought to the world.
The next best news to that is that he is STILL at work in the midst of all this horror, he doesn't forget nor does is grace run dry.  The reality is that we live in a world that sins, that is willing to lie, and steal, and murder but we serve a God who takes the good, the bad, and the ugly turns it into life.  I pray that just as he did me, that God would fill you with peace by reminding you of His plan and reminding you that He has overcome.  



out of the ashes we'll rise