Tragedies Archives ⋆ Effie Darlene Barba

Can One Broken, Contrite, Praying Heart Make a Difference?

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Hebrews 12:12-15

This has been a tragic 4^th of July week. Our country, my country and yours appears to be in broken turmoil. Split into divides and sanctions with bitterness and hate rising. The hatred, bitterness and divide have been rising over the last 8 to 10 years culminating in all the tragedies of this week. We saw a taste of our officers at their worst. A result of fear for their own life or rage? I haven’t seen all the pieces or facts, so I certainly do not know. Can we judge their heart, their motive from a video? Then we see the police at their finest as we watch them be slaughtered. I watched as the police were placing themselves in harm’s way to protect the protestors in Dallas. Those who were calling them names were ushered to safety by the very officers who walked into the line of the bullets. Other officers again placing themselves directly in the line of fire to rescue one of their own and then to apprehend the suspects.

We watch snippets from videos and believe that we know the story when all too often we only know what the sensationalists want us to know. I cannot pretend to say I know for certain the right or the wrong of each incident; yet, I am certain I cannot judge the heart of someone else. I can start by examining my own heart. Last night, I could not sleep. I was watching the calm protests and saw the unfolding of the Dallas tragedies when they first occurred. Flipping between channels as I had been doing for the previous hour; trying to reconcile the differences in the “truth” presented, I could not help but notice that some lagged way behind in presenting the news about Dallas while continuing a rant against “all police.” Did their rhetoric escalade and open the door for such a planned attack? Probably not in one day; but, does our need for 24-hour a day sensationalism add to the divide already present within our hearts?

Continue reading “Can One Broken, Contrite, Praying Heart Make a Difference?”

Dear God, Will You Really Speak to Me? Absolutely!

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:1-4 NKJV

“Speak, Oh Lord, tell me why this pain! I need to know what to do next; if you would only tell me, then I could follow!!” Has that ever been the cry of your heart? I know it has been mine. Yet, does God speak to us? How does He speak and how can we know it is His voice?

In the midst of a storm, we turn our eyes upon the cross, seeking to hear God’s voice.

As we begin to study this book of Hebrews, we are immediately confronted with the words that God spoke through the prophets in various ways and various times. Throughout the Old Testament we have God’s word presented. He spoke in the narratives of the history. He spoke through the miracles in the lives of His people. At times He spoke through songs as He did in the book of Psalms; while at other times He spoke through instruction such as Proverbs. He spoke through the Old Testament prophets. He spoke in many ways so that each of us could uniquely hear His Voice. There was one major truth that rings throughout every scripture. “We are sinners incapable of reaching God were it not for His Grace and Love reaching forth to save us.” All of the Old Testament scripture points us toward Jesus Christ; the Son of God who took on flesh to live among us and to die that we might have life.

Continue reading “Dear God, Will You Really Speak to Me? Absolutely!”

Can the Right Perspective Make Us Bold Against Tragedies?

When tragedies come into our lives it is hard to stand up or to move. Despair, anxiety, and fear paralyze our hearts. It is hard to see beyond the tragedy. That seemed to be the case with the apostles that day. All but John were far away as they stood beneath the cross when Jesus died. There stood John, Mary and 3 other women. What next? How would they bury Jesus? Did they even have time to think of that? They were certainly not people of financial means. The body of those that died on the cross were usually thrown into one large common grave.

Out of the crowds came one unexpected disciple that boldly went before Pilate to request the body. That was Joseph of Arimathea. We do not know a lot about Joseph of Arimathea; but, we do know that he was a rich man. We also know that he was a member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish legislation). We are told by John that he had been “secret about his discipleship” out of fear. Yet, he boldly stepped forward to request the body so that he could place the body of Jesus in a “tomb that had never been used.” All of this was very important to later prove the resurrection of Jesus. All had been meticulously orchestrated by God. So what in the midst of this tragedy caused Joseph of Arimathea to be so bold and Nicodemus to join him? The keys to his boldness is the same keys that we might hold fast to when tragedy hits our own lives. I want to share with you the four keys I found in scripture that explains his boldness and faith at that moment. The same 4 keys that can help you and I when tragedies come as well.

Continue reading “Can the Right Perspective Make Us Bold Against Tragedies?”