Look for the Helpers

Last Friday started out as a day like any other.  People woke up, showered, ate breakfast, packed their kids' lunches and sent them off to school.  Sadly, for one school, what was otherwise a normal day turned into a nightmare.

By now, we are all aware of the horrors of that day.  The fear, the helplessness, the utter shock.  Many people wondered, both publicly and privately, where God was that day.  How could a God of love let something this monstrous happen?

I admit, at first I was just kind of in stunned awe, just numb, at hearing the news.  I had some of those same questions for God, too.  In those moments, I read the ancient words of Jeremiah, written during similarly awful circumstances.  In this personal paraphrase of some portions of Lamentations 2 & 3, I found an answer.

Rise during the night and cry out.
    Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord.

My tears flow endlessly;
    they will not stop
until the LORD looks down
    from heaven and sees.

I called on your name, LORD,
    from deep within the pit.
You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!
    Hear my cry for help!”
Yes, you came when I called;
    you told me, “Do not fear.”

The LORD is good to those who depend on him,
    to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly
    for salvation from the LORD.

For no one is abandoned
    by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
    because of the greatness of his unfailing love.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

As I read the words, I could acutely feel the grief Jeremiah spoke of, but I could see no compassion.  But God showed me that if I would just wait quietly, He wasn’t done yet.

One by one, stories emerged.  The NFL star, Victor Cruz, heard that 6-year-old Jack Pinto idolized him and had been so happy to see Cruz and the Giants win the Super Bowl this last February.  That Sunday Cruz wore cleats with a hand-written note “Jack Pinto, My Hero” on them.  And then, just this Tuesday, Victor, his girlfriend, and their daughter drove to Connecticut and spent time with Jack’s family.  They talked, they cried, and just….spent time together.  Jack never got to meet his hero, but his hero has been touched in an indescribable way by his short life.

Then there is the story of little Daniel Barden, age 7.  All he wanted to be when he grew up was a fireman, just like his uncle and his cousin.  As his little casket was driven to the church, hundreds of firemen from all across, lined the street in full dress uniforms, all for a little boy most had never met.

There are stories of the teachers and principal at the school who sacrificed everything to protect the children.  The outpouring of love and compassion from total strangers, from the President to the person on the street, is just staggering.  And in these stories and others, the hand of Divine Providence is clearly seen.

Fred Rogers, talking to children about the bad things that happen in life, said this:

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

Mr. Rogers was right.  So many caring people are embracing Newtown, CT right now.  God has sent helpers to help those who need it.  Even you and I, who may not be able to physically be in Connecticut, can be helpers by lifting that community up in prayer.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.

Encounter: How can you be God’s helper today?