He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.
Revelation 21:4 (NLT)
I watched a video of little girls riding to safety on a school bus after the flooding in Texas. These young girls’ faces were not shown on camera, nor should they be. Their privacy should always remain the utmost priority.
But those lovely voices could be heard singing beautiful songs of praise to God. They sang with joy and purity. You see, people who trust Jesus with their lives know that joy is the deep, fulfilling peace that comes from walking with God. Joy does not mean the absence of sorrow.
From the video, every now and then you could hear what sounded like deep a sob. Other times you could hear lighthearted talking and even a small amount of very appropriate laughter. Emotions are revealed in many ways, so those little girls had a right to express them however they needed to.
As the footage continued the bus was making its way along very damaged roadways, and at one point it crossed a road where sizable wave of water seemed to be rolling toward the bus. But the little girls only paused their song. You could almost sense them catching their breath. They must have still been afraid. But they continued to sing. They were singing Amazing Grace when they rode past the wave of water.
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
Psalm 42:11 (NLT)
God received every voice of praise with joy. Abba, Shammah. God is nearby. Even those girls whose hearts were just too overcome with grief or fear had a voice put to their soul cry.
…the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
…we don’t know what God wants us to pray for.
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
And the Father who knows all hearts
knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Romans 8:25-27
He treasures every tear.
You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 56:8 (NLT)
This verse is a reminder of how important every detail of our lives are to God.
These precious young girls have brought glory to the name of Christ Jesus in their living testimony. Others have honored God in their selfless acts of heroism that either cost them their own lives or have left them with tragic memories that will remain in their minds.
Pray for the first responders. They have been deeply impacted by all of the loss and are exposed to dangers, still, that we can’t conceive of.
If you are struggling with this tragedy here is a timeless truth that can bring peace.
Jesus loves me, this I know,1
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong;
they are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me he who died
heaven’s gate to open wide.
He will wash away my sin,
let his little child come in.
by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
- Jesus Loves Me, This I Know
Anna B. Warner
CA 1859 ↩︎
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 