Response:
 
Jn 14.27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Lets ‘let our hearts not be troubled’ by worldly news. Our sense of self righteousness is assaulted when we read news of this nature and we instinctively clamor for natural justice. I believe that is why Jesus says, ‘let not your heart be troubled,’ for He has given us His peace and the Holy Spirit to comfort us. In moments like these, continue to focus and believe that our Father loves us and commit the burdens and cares of this world to Him (Rom 12.19 – wrath’s place is with Him). Continue to trust in Him and know that He is in full control for vengeance belongs to Him.

Rom 12:19: Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Heb 10:30: For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”

We have to accept that there are some things of God we may never comprehend and fully understand – how Kingdom justice operates in a fallen world. Our fleshly, selfish nature would demand justice and retribution based on man’s wisdom as we see it. But God operates in a higher realm which is beyond mere mortal understanding.

(As an aside, almost very few asks, ‘How come the devil is so evil to cause Herod to kill innocent children?’. The devil, the ruler of this world, has influenced our minds to blame God instead.)

Back to the Herod story, we are in some ways privileged to have a ‘behind the scene’ look as it were to God’s purposes – perhaps He was protecting the One Child that would save the entire world. Now, could there be a better plan to save the One Child instead of sacrificing so many children? We may never know the answer to that question. We need to have the faith to believe that our Father God is sovereign and His great love plan to rescue man from the devil, will not be thwarted.

Do we believe and trust in our Father God that if we take a step towards His destiny for us, that He will always provide? Look at Abraham when he went up the Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac. Unbeknownst to Abraham, God caused a ram to come up the other side of the mountain to be sacrificed in Isaac’s place instead. (Gen 22.13)

Another example, when God flooded the earth during Noah's time. One would probably pose the question. ‘Were there innocent people around that died with the flood?’ We take it by the Word of God that the earth then was wicked, full of idolatrous and immoral people (Nephilims mating with earthly women - Gen 6 – that is why we had giants like Goliath) and God found Noah and family to be 'perfect' people to preserve and procreate a new generation. But alas, man's fallen nature once again manifests - Ham, Nimrod and the Tower of Babel, etc and the cycle begins again.

How patient our God is with our tragic sinful nature in this world - a patience borne out of a deep agape love for each and everyone of us. That is why to allow us to escape the clutches of this sinful world, He cut a new covenant for us. He divined a ‘way’ out for us, as ‘slaves to the devil’ to become ‘children of God’. And that ‘way’ is Jesus - the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14.6) back to the loving embrace and protection of our Father (Ps 91)

If we accept Jesus in our lives we receive His free gift of righteousness, His free gift of peace and His open invitation to enter into His joy (Mt 6.33) It is only with Jesus’ grace and peace in us (His shalom peace that surpasses human understanding. Jn 14.27) that we are able to walk a victorious walk (not be overtaken by worldly stress) and allow the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in us.

Would you like to receive Jesus’ gift of righteousness, peace and joy - freely offered to you? With Him working in us and through us, we are more than conquerors!

Br. Lee