Daily Devotional for April 20, 2019
Will the Ringing Ever Stop?
Note: This story may not be suitable for young or sensitive children.
Jason sat in his chair, his body turning this way and that as he hummed along to the music in his headphones. The door to his room opened without him hearing. Then it closed again, and someone knocked on it.
“Ahh!” he exclaimed, taking of the headphones. “Come in.”
His uncle stepped into the room. “Hey, there. You okay?”
“It’s just this ringing in my ear,” said Jason, holding his head. “I’ll be fine.”
His uncle sat down, easing his bulky frame onto the bed, which squeaked in protest. “You weren’t at the service.”
“I didn’t want to see them,” said Jason. “Or talk to people.”
“Well, maybe people want to talk to you,” his uncle said. “You can’t hide in here for the rest of your life.”
Jason fiddled with his ear.
“Look, I know it’s hard,” his uncle said. “Being caught in the middle of a shooting in your own church isn’t something anyone should have to go through. It wasn’t easy on me either. But you survived, by the grace of God, and the rest of us need you now.”
“Do they know why he did it?” Jason asked.
His uncle shook his head. “There’s no reason except sin, Jason. Sin is like that ringing in your ear. It messes everything up. God made us to love Him, and when that doesn’t happen we do all sorts of horrible things. People even did horrible things to Jesus. They crucified Him and sent Him to die on a cross.” His uncle sighed. “You should have been at the service. The pastor talked about the resurrection. All of them—Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick, your friend George, everyone—they all trusted in Jesus, and they’re all going to be raised from the dead when He returns, just as surely as Jesus Himself rose. You believe that?” Jason nodded, and his uncle shifted, causing the bed to squeak again. “Jesus is going to make everything right when He comes back. He’s going to stop that ringing in your ear, and He’s going to destroy sin and death forever. Until then, remember that He’s with us and will help us through this.”
Jason started to cry. His uncle stood up and wrapped his huge arms around him.
How about you?
Have you heard about a shooting or other violent event on the news? Do you wonder why these things happen? People’s sinful rebellion against God has caused all kinds of terrible things to happen in the world. But Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin, and one day He will come back to raise all Christians from the dead and destroy sin and death forever!
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