Inspirational Article From Joanne Lowe Index of Writings by Joanne Lowe on Gospel Web

WHAT IS YOUR NAME

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Matthew 24: 6 – 8 King James Version

I have been thinking about our brave men and women who are risking their lives to protect our country. The thought came to me “I wonder when they have to shoot someone if they say to themselves “I’ve never met you. What is your name”? It is no wonder at all that they have nightmares for years because of all they have seen and because of what they had to do because they were given the order to shoot. They have seen tragedies and horrors that we can’t even begin to imagine. The only one who completely understands is Jesus because He also endured horrors beyond description.

I heard someone on television many years ago who was interviewing a veteran who still had nightmares say “It’s time you get on with your life. Stop living in the past”. The one who conducted the interview did not have compassion for the veteran. It is impossible to get on with your life without the help of Jesus. Only Jesus can take the horrors and nightmares that devastate us and turn us into emotional cripples from us. Only He can deposit His tender, unconditional love and His soothing salve of compassion and understanding into a heart that has been shattered.

We also have veterans in the service of Jesus. There are pastors who have been in service for Jesus for many years and they have been ridiculed, criticized and treated in a way that brings disgrace to Jesus. Our pastors are in a battle against satan for our souls. They have an awesome responsibility because they will have to give an account for the people they shepherd. We need to be praying for our pastors and families daily. We especially need to pray for our pastor’s spouses and we should thank God for the daily sacrifices of unconditional love they make in allowing our pastors to spend so much time with us. Do you know your pastor’s first name? If not, you need to find out because God is not impressed with titles. To our Heavenly Father, our pastors are just little children who need extra encouragement and love.

The greatest veteran that ever lived is the Lord Jesus Christ. He endured struggles, battles and heartaches that none of us will ever be able to comprehend with our human minds. His heart was broken time and time again as people constantly hurt Him with their cruel words and with their hatred by rejecting Him. Sad to say and the tragic thing is that He is still being hurt by cruel and hateful things said about Him and by people rejecting Him. For some of you He has been knocking on your heart’s door for years. Please don’t keep rejecting Him and hurting Him! Open your heart to the one who gave His life for you so that you may know real happiness, real joy and a lasting peace.

Joanne Lowe

May 29, 2007

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