On Good Friday– March 30th, 2018– it was reported by Vanguard that four suicide bombers in the villages of Malumti, and Muna Zawiya, Nigeria, bombed a checkpoint. The blast killed three civilians and injured anywhere from 13-18 innocent people. Four Boko Haram members were also killed by Nigerian soldiers in these villages, according to Vanguard.
Indeed, the fact that Christ has Risen is something that is infuriating those who are apart of Boko Haram– and the enemy that is truly guiding them (satan).
It’s hard to see and hear of these attacks. It is heartwrenching.
Yet, when the attack of the enemy comes, we know who wins.
It is with this in mind that I wrote this poem, speaking to those who have been personally affected by these tragedies, as well as those who see it happen in the news, day after day. I pray it is encouraging, and blesses your relationship with Christ.
“Hope, Again & Again”
It’s hard to continue
to look upon tragedy
again and again.
It happened on Good Friday.
This day,
A day filled with sorrow and sadness,
turning out for our gladness,
That day was not “good” only because of what would happen.
No, it was good
not because of mere nails and wood
But because of what was actually taking place.
Face to face,
A man was dying.
A man very loved—
yet never loved as much as He Loved us
Dying, even for the sins of those
Who committed their crime
on Good Friday.
As I Iook upon the tragedies that have happened on this day
through the eyes of my Savior,
I realize that there is more to this
than it seems.
Friend, it’s hard to see this
again and again.
But the promise of what was done,
and what is up ahead
Is enough to let Hope flutter
inside a cage made of dry bones.
Because, even on the worst day of class,
My God is present. He
Sees the hurt, the carnage,
the news reports filled with body counts.
But there is no amount of relief
Like His
When we can look back at the Cross and say,
“Here it is:
Jesus Won. And Jesus Wins.”
So, friend, when you are dying
to see the end of heartache,
the end of crying
Look to the One who sustains with His breath
Who promises an end to sin,
A stop to death,
His arms of comfort, on the way–
His nail-scarred hands to save the day.
Child,
Look this tragedy in the face.
It is okay to cry.
It is okay to wonder “why.”
But take hold of His Hand, my
grieving,
falling-apart-at-the-seams neighbor.
Lord Jesus,
May the Church do all it can to lift these people up,
to love them like You, the Creator.
Smile, sister: Jesus is Love–
And He has done enough.
May that Truth flutter in your ribcage,
free you from the despair, ready to consume.
You can live with Him forever, and He can be your Savior:
But only if you choose. 🔷
© Annalee Hoover, 2018
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
(Hebrews 10:23, NIV)
This is in tribute to the three civilians killed this past Good Friday. May Jesus come close to and comfort their loved ones.
Do you know Jesus?
Jesus Christ was a person. A person like you, a person like me: being tempted in every way possible, “yet He did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
We don’t have a high priest who doesn’t understand our common, day-to-day fragility. God is not some lofty deity, nor is He some impersonal force, such as “the Universe.” Hebrews tells us that Jesus is “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3, NIV). Jesus was fully man, completely able to relate with us, yet is God. Read more about this amazing God, and what He came to do for you and I, here.
Please pray for (find a prayer sheet for this, here)…
– That the Chibok girls, as well as Leah Sharibu from the Dapchi kidnapping, would be freed. You can find some of the Chibok girls’ names, here.
– Those 18 people who were injured in these four separate bombings.
– The families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, this past weekend.
– That the local, and global Church would come together in unity and would lovingly support and aid those who need it most right now in Northern Nigeria.
– That the members of Boko Haram who did this would be brought to full Justice.
– That Christ would come soon; it is only then that real, lasting Peace and Rightness will be known.
Thank you for your prayers!
ISAIAH 62 PRAYER MINISTRY 