A Broken World

Just a few weeks ago, I spent a glorious few days in London with my second daughter. She is going to be studying abroad and doing an internship there this summer. I was thrilled to be spending some rare one-on-one time with her before being separated by an ocean.

The second night we were there, we learned that there had been a stabbing on the London Bridge. Our plans changed, and of course, our excitement was replaced with anxiety and worry.

Of course I tuned into the news, and the horrific scene from London Bridge was being broadcast everywhere. Naturally, I panicked. How in the world could I let my daughter live here in the midst of so much uncertainty, unrest and fear?

But in an instant, the Lord touched my heart and gave me a sense of His divine peace and serenity as I prayed Psalm 91 over Catherine, the city of London, and our broken world.

It seems so simple to say, but when we really ponder it in our hearts, it’s profound: God is with us… ALWAYS. He challenges us to not only live in but to engage with a broken and hostile world. He did the very same thing when He sent His Son, Jesus, to step into the brokenness as a man and deliver grace and truth to the hurting and seeking.

The next morning, I stepped into the streets of London armed with a warm Southern smile and a fervent prayer that people would know me by my actions, and in turn, that they would know the Lord because of my actions. I yearn for people I encounter to see my love for others, my peace in the middle of stressful situations, my willingness to extend grace, a merciful spirit… I don’t want them to see me. Instead, I want them to see Him through me.

Each day we are given choices. We can choose to live in fear: Fear of the unknown, be it fear of singleness, closed spaces, random acts of violence, or a medical diagnosis. Or we can choose each day to lift our hands, hearts and concerns to a God who is ever-present and ready to engage with us and provide us with wholeness in the brokenness.