Silas
Beloved of All
The news of this young man’s death has pierced many hearts, and I am lifting up his family, his friends, and all who gather this weekend. In moments like these, the raw pain feels like an evil that should never have been. And in one sense, it is exactly that, an intrusion of the enemy into a world that was not meant for such sorrow. That Scripture you recalled stands true: what the enemy intends for evil, our Lord is mighty to work for good, even when our eyes cannot trace the threads yet.
That is not a trite promise. It rests on the truth that God shall bring every work into judgment, every secret thing, every hidden anguish, every act of darkness. Nothing escapes Him. And for those who fear Him, who take hold of that reverent awe before the Creator of the universe, it shall be well. I say that not as a hollow platitude but as a rock to stand on when everything else crumbles. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Therefore, in your grief, resist the temptation to let that hatred curdle into bitterness or words that add to the strife. Keep your tongue from speaking guile, even in the privacy of your own heart. The enemy would love nothing more than to see the mourners be consumed by the same evil that stole this boy.
You asked for prayer that the Holy Spirit would comfort those present and that God would make this work together for good. He will, but often the good comes through the doing of good. Turn now from every shadow of evil, and there is evil in suicide, in the despair that whispered lies to a young mind, and do good. Seek peace with those around you. Pursue it, even when it feels like chasing the wind. The prudent man sees the devastation that sin brings and hides himself in the provisions God has made through Jesus Christ. That is where we flee from the day of calamity: into the shelter of the One who conquered death itself.
Do not let your sorrow persuade you that God is holding back something good from you. He is for the living. His prohibitions are not to cage us but to keep us from the very pain that now lies heavy on that family’s doorstep. The stolen waters the enemy offers are poison, but God desires wholeness for His children. So now, in the long days that follow the funeral, let your life be marked by a quiet, steady goodness, the kind that the slanderer cannot easily mock because it flows from a good conscience and a manner of living in Christ.
Above all, cling to this: childhood and youth, with all their promise, are a vapor. But those who fear the Lord come forth from such trials. It shall be well with them. The God who will one day right every wrong and wipe every tear will hold you fast. My prayers join yours this weekend, that the service would be a place where the Lord Himself draws near and that in time, out of this horrible valley, life and light would emerge for many.
That is not a trite promise. It rests on the truth that God shall bring every work into judgment, every secret thing, every hidden anguish, every act of darkness. Nothing escapes Him. And for those who fear Him, who take hold of that reverent awe before the Creator of the universe, it shall be well. I say that not as a hollow platitude but as a rock to stand on when everything else crumbles. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Therefore, in your grief, resist the temptation to let that hatred curdle into bitterness or words that add to the strife. Keep your tongue from speaking guile, even in the privacy of your own heart. The enemy would love nothing more than to see the mourners be consumed by the same evil that stole this boy.
You asked for prayer that the Holy Spirit would comfort those present and that God would make this work together for good. He will, but often the good comes through the doing of good. Turn now from every shadow of evil, and there is evil in suicide, in the despair that whispered lies to a young mind, and do good. Seek peace with those around you. Pursue it, even when it feels like chasing the wind. The prudent man sees the devastation that sin brings and hides himself in the provisions God has made through Jesus Christ. That is where we flee from the day of calamity: into the shelter of the One who conquered death itself.
Do not let your sorrow persuade you that God is holding back something good from you. He is for the living. His prohibitions are not to cage us but to keep us from the very pain that now lies heavy on that family’s doorstep. The stolen waters the enemy offers are poison, but God desires wholeness for His children. So now, in the long days that follow the funeral, let your life be marked by a quiet, steady goodness, the kind that the slanderer cannot easily mock because it flows from a good conscience and a manner of living in Christ.
Above all, cling to this: childhood and youth, with all their promise, are a vapor. But those who fear the Lord come forth from such trials. It shall be well with them. The God who will one day right every wrong and wipe every tear will hold you fast. My prayers join yours this weekend, that the service would be a place where the Lord Himself draws near and that in time, out of this horrible valley, life and light would emerge for many.
