more sad news

Now an earthquake has killed nearly 10,000 in Sichuan province, China.


What's really scary is that I have friends whose family is from this area. So far, reports have been that their families are safe, but still, to have your home city receive such destruction is not a light deal.
Myanmar is finally receiving some outside aid (but will still need more)
apparently the data I looked at for my blurb 2 posts ago was a little liberal. 50,000 haven't died yet (it's around 23,000), but there are estimates that over 1million will die as a result of the cyclone, from starvation and disease.
Burmese kids in a shelter.
And Lebanon can't decide it'll be peaceful or not (they are trying).

If you talk to me, you know, that all of this stuff has really taken a toll on me. One person told me I'm too upset. I don't know what to think of statements like that. People are freakin dying so why aren't you crying? Though it's true that I have perhaps had too hard of a time having a heart at peace, a gentle and quiet spirit...

when I talked to Jon H. about this, one of the things he said about Myanmar is "It's so awful. People are going to blame God for all of the people dying when it's all the government's fault." Now I don't know if the exact same argument could run for the new catastrophe in China (looks like their government is responding very appropriately)

but one thing that has really dominated my mind lately that all of this horrible stuff is a result of sin in this world. That the world was created good, sin made it bad, and through Jesus we know that everything will be redeemed, fixed, rebuilt, all better than before. This is what the God of the Bible has always been about. It's He who always give chances to repent, who blessed Job like crazy after he lost everything and whined about it, who took back Israel over and over again whenever she played the harlot, who created a new life for the woman at the well, the many blind, deaf, and sick He cured, those He raised from the dead, and countless, absolutely countless number of lives He's changed by pursuing them and transforming their hearts from the inside out. God makes a living out of turning awful situations into praiseworthy ones. So even now He's worthy to be praised.

I've been convicted to pray a lot, and to ask believing He'll answer my prayers. So last night, it was put on my heart to pray that Jon would be (gasp!) wrong! What I mean is, I know my Lord is capable of silencing any who criticize and blame Him for the pain in this world, and I know He can prove them all wrong.

Wouldn't it be great for all of these tragic events - and not just these 3 - to not be looked at as a time when people say "God hates us" but be looked back at as a time when... these regions turned to Him and saw Him provide, saw Him do miracles that even believers stopped believing in (a few loaves of bread feeding all of Myanmar?!), saw Him grabbing their attention and pouring out His love, when they first realized they were betrothed to Him forever, in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy, in faithfulness...when they first realized they could know GOD? And then become an example to all the surrounding areas...who would then all come to know Him as well...

and then He'd return.

Only with Jesus, the God of the Bible, could anything like what's going now suddenly become "so exciting"...

All that being said I've still been pretty overwhelmed, and you could say, depressed, by everything. I don't know when that will go away. But we still must trust in Him. The world's hopeless without Him.

Isaiah 61 seems to have been in style lately. Well there's a reason for that. it's awesome

1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But you shall be named the priests of the LORD,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
7 Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

8 “ For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed.”

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.