As I watched Obama giving his address to the nation Sunday night I was filled with all kinds of emotions. I had chills all over my body and I was relieved, I was happy, I was sad, I was caught in memories of 9/11, and I was completely confused and overwhelmed. I got on facebook and the amount of status updates on my news feed was ridiculous. As I read through them I began to think about what my status should be. I wasn't feeling the joy everyone else seemed to feel, and I wasn't sure what my reaction should be. The next day I was reading through some Christian responses and I came across one that said this: "Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us." Very true... And I have something else to add to that. There is no happiness in the death of an unbeliever, and as hard as it is to think this way, God loved Osama Bin Laden, and He wanted a relationship with him. He pursued him just as he did me. Where is the joy in a human being created in God's image rejecting his creator, and as far as we know spending an eternity in hell. Justice has been done, and I know that, that was God's will, but how should I respond to this as a christian? I was reading my Bible Monday afternoon and I decided to read a Proverb and, for no particular reason, I picked Proverbs 21. I now realize that it was in no way random and God had led me to it. This is what I heard...
- Proverbs 21:15-
"When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to evildoers."
- Proverbs 21:18-
"The wicked become a ransom for the righteous..."
-Proverbs 21:30-
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."
-Proverbs 21:31-
"... victory rests with the Lord."
I think my jaw dropped. This is what I needed to hear and after that I felt this peace about it. Justice has been done, God has allowed and ordained it, and the victory rests with Him. 9/11 was a horrible day for America, but there is no wisdom, no insight, and no plan that can ever succeed against the Lord. Victory rests in Him. After reading this I will tell you how I feel.
I am proud to be an American, I am glad that justice has been done, but I am even more proud to be on the winning side of every evil battle. I am joyous in the victory that rests with the Lord, and I am thankful for His righteousness.
