Abducted

Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, VA

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth,

and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart 

was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:5

Authorities in Kansas City spent most of yesterday searching neighborhoods, after spending Friday searching creeks and landfills for a two and a half year old toddler that was abducted from her crib early Tuesday morning.  The child’s mother put her to bed on Monday night at 10:30 pm, and her dad discovered her missing when he came home from work at 4:00am on Tuesday morning.  The father said that there were random lights on in the house, the front door was unlocked, and a front window was open when he arrived home – all unusual events.  Three cell phones were also missing. The parents concluded that someone entered the home through the window and took their precious child. 

What could someone possibly want with a toddler girl?  The question produces nightmares of possible answers.  There are 800,000 missing children every year in the United States, approximately 2,000 a day.  A three-year-old girl disappears in West Virginia on September 24.  A second grade boy vanishes in June of 2010. A nine-year-old girl evaporates in thin air in February of 2000; her parents still have no idea what happened to her.

It is impossible to hide your children from the world, to watch them 24/7, or be by their side every waking (and sleeping!) moment.  Our complex and ever-moving society does not give us that privilege.  We do, however, have a God in heaven that never slumbers or sleeps.  Draw your children to you each morning and commit them to God’s care and keeping for that day.  Never let a day go by that you do not place them in the Lord’s hands.  He has promised, Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  Claim that promise for your children today.

Prayers Needs for Today

For the families of abducted children and those who search for them.

By Faith

Photo courtesy of Facebook

All these people [Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah]

were still living by faith when they died.

They did not receive the things promised:

they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.

Hebrews 11:13

I was raised in a church that believed in the imminent return of Jesus Christ to this earth.  The “nearness of the Second Coming” was mentioned in practically every sermon and every prayer on a weekly basis.  Soon and Very Soon was a song we sang in our little children’s classes, and We Have This Hope was a frequent hymn choice for the worship service.

We have this hope that burns within our hearts,

Hope in the coming of the Lord.

We have this faith that Christ alone imparts:

Faith in the promise of His word.

We believe the time is near when the nations far and near

Shall awake and shout and sing:

Hallelujah!  Christ is King

We have this hope that burns within our hearts,

Hope in the coming of the Lord.

-Wayne Hooper

As I near my mid-60’s, I am beginning to wonder if I, too, will still be waiting for the promise when I die.  Generations before me have only seen the promise “from a distance.”  Do not misunderstand me:  my faith and belief are still as strong as they were when I was a little child.  I continue to pray that Christ might return during my lifetime.  However, this one thing I know:  when the “fullness of time has come,” Christ will return for His people. Hallelujah, Amen.   

Peace

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you.

Not as the world gives, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

Peace (pēs) n. [[ME pais]]

1 freedom from war

2 a treaty or agreement to end war

3 freedom from public disturbance or disorder

4 freedom from disagreement or quarrels; harmony

5 an undisturbed state of mind; absence of mental conflict;

6 serenity; calm, quiet; tranquility

The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded this morning to three women:  Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and activist Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen.  All three have been strong activists in their homelands for peace, democracy, and the rights of women.  Upon hearing of her award, Ms. Karman stated: “We cannot build our country, or any country in the world, without peace.”

Peace is a very rare commodity to find in this world.  There is always another demonstration, gang violence, crime, civil disturbance, terrorist attack, or war.  Fifty-four countries are currently embroiled in 463 separate armed conflicts, against other nations and against 209 militia/guerrillas and separatist groups.  In many areas of our world, peace has not existed for decades. 

I believe that within the human heart, peace is one of the most important aspects of a healthy life.  Without the absence of mental conflict, there is stress, anger, hostility, and fear.  If the world cannot provide the peace we need, what options do we have? 

Jesus promises a different kind of peace – unlike anything the world has to offer.  His peace is complete and eternal – offered to us in the midst of the conflict that will always be a part of the human experience.  Knowing that He is in control and that our lives have been placed in His hands brings a serenity that is heaven-borne and life-centered.

Statistics online at Wars in the World.com

A list of ongoing conflicts

Updated 10/6/2011