15 Feb Where Was God? (Is 58:2) by Shane Kapler
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
.
“They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the law of their God.” ~ Is 58:2 (full readings)
.
Shane’s Reflections: When our nation faces a tragedy, such as the acts of violence we hear in the news with increasing frequency, some people ask, “Where was God when this happened?” The vast majority of us are blind to the way that ignoring God’s command, “Thou shall not kill,” in the case of the unborn has played a role in gradually warping minds and hearts, of gradually eroding the dignity we attach to all life. We no longer respect the sanctity of marriage, no longer believe that both a mother and father are integral for the healthy development of the next generation. We excise the thought of God, and even the natural law he established, from our court decisions; but in tragedy our politicians stand up and invoke his Name and His promises in an attempt to comfort the bereaved. And yet, the Lord does not abandon us. He stands at our sides … and weeps over the culture of death we have not just created, but go on expanding.
* Shane Kapler is the author of “The God Who is Love: Explaining Christianity From Its Center” and co-author of “Tending the Temple”. He works as a speech therapist in St. Louis, but his favorite “job” is being a Dad. Visit www.explainingchristianity.com.
.
Faith Challenge: Call fellow Christians and others of good will to reflect upon their ambivalence toward, or support for, abortion. Help them explore their deepest core beliefs – the unparalleled dignity of human life, the love and care we instinctually feel toward children, especially newborns – and ask them to honestly come to terms with how abortion can be squared with their deepest convictions.
.
Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
.
Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
.
Feast Day: St. Claude la Colombiere.
.
Faith Quote: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” ~ James 1:23-25
.
Through Christ our Lord,
Shane