Rebuilding the Ruins!
God brings beauty from the ashes of our life
“And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.”
Isaiah 61:4
When our world falls apart around us, how can we experience peace? How do we pick up the pieces when our world seems to have fallen apart? Today I want to probe this all too common question with you; How can we have peace in the storm?
I recently came across a book from a Pastor and his wife and their horrific experience of losing 3 of their 5 children in a catastrophic flood that took place in Rapid City, SD on June 9th, 1972. The book is entitled “Some through the Flood” by Pastor Ron and Lavonne Masters was published in 1992.
In an interview LaVonne Masters stated: "The thesis is, there is recovery, there is hope after all hope is gone."
The flooding in and around Rapid City on the edge of the rugged Black Hills killed 238 people and injured more than 3,000. It destroyed more than 1,300 dwellings and 5,000 vehicles.
Among the victims were the Masters' three sons: Stephen, 12; Jonathan, 8; and Timothy, 2. Daughters Karen, then 14, and JoAnn, 10, survived.
The night of the flood, water began rising around their house near Rapid Creek and they fled in their four-wheel-drive vehicle. Upstream, Canyon Lake Dam had ruptured.
"The first wall of water caught us," Masters recalled.
The car floated and was caught in cottonwood trees in about 10 feet of water. "Quicker than I can tell it, another wall of water came," Masters said. "In a matter of seconds, the water was up to our necks in this vehicle."
"My oldest boy, Steve, said 'Dad, this is all in God's hands.' That was the last words we ever heard from Steve."
Masters kicked out a side window, squeezed out and reached back inside to pull out his wife.
Next, he grabbed Karen, who was holding 2-year-old Timothy. When she came through the opening, the water tore the baby from her arms and he was swept away.
Before Masters could extract the other three children, another wall of water roared through, submerging the vehicle in the blackness. The Masterses and Karen spent the next five hours or so clinging to the trees.
"If a man never believed in hell, he would believe in it after that night," Masters said. A girl trapped in a nearby tree screamed all night. Lightning provided glimpses of bodies, trees, cars, parts of houses and other debris floating past.
Just before daybreak, the water started to drop. "Suddenly, from beneath our feet, I heard the sound of a voice. I couldn't believe it," Masters said.
JoAnn had survived the night in an air pocket at the back of the vehicle. She said her brothers had shared the air pocket, but Stephen eventually stopped talking and then Jonathan was gone. Masters said he'll never forget the look of terror in his daughter's eyes. "It just pierced your soul."
National Guard troops soon rescued them.
This story has a particularly personal meaning to me. You see, on that fateful day in June, Peggy Lee Wipf was 8 months pregnant with her first child. For some scary moments she was in danger from the horrible waters that night that swept through Rapid City killing nearly 250 people and injuring more than 3000.
Peggy is my mother and in those horrible hours and days following that disaster, she and my dad helped several people with food, water, and a place to stay. My Father was in the Air Force and was part of the teams that were conducting search and rescue, and eventually recovery operations.
This devastating flood claimed the lives of Pastor Ron and LaVonne Masters’ three sons, and, had circumstances been different, could possibly have taken my mother’s life just before I was born. I was born 40 days later on July 20th, 1972 in the Baken Park Hospital that stood directly in the flood path some 6 weeks previous.
How did Pastor Masters and his wife LaVonne find peace in the storm of devastation? How did they go on to encourage so many in the community and around the nation after such a tragic loss? Had they allowed their dreams to wash down stream with their three precious boys and everything they owned, they may have missed the miracles God was still to perform through their lives.
What happens when the setbacks in our lives seem too catastrophic to recover from like what happened with Pastor Masters and his family or Pastor Greg Laurie and His family, or Kellee and I? What do we do when it seems that everything is done? How do we regain our footing and find the courage to go on?
The setting is Israel nearly 2000 years ago. The situation for the Jew was a nearly impossible and hopeless one of tyranny, corruption, and religious hypocrisy so deep that the common man could not break through. Those who you thought could help looked at you like a second class citizen.
But then, something happens. You begin to hear about a man who does miraculous things all around the nation. You hear stories of the sick, and the blind, and the lame being healed. You hear that this man’s preaching is putting the corrupt religious leaders in their place. You hear that massive crowds are following Him wherever He goes.
You hear that he sits and shows mercy to those who are rejects of society like prostitutes, lepers, and beggars. You see that He even goes to the home of Tax Collectors and changes their lives. He even speaks powerful words to the enemy, the Romans!
There is even talk by some that this man could be the Messiah, the Son of David! He could be the hope of all Israel! The long awaited King! You finally make it to hear Him speak and your heart is amazed at the truth of His words and the power of His teaching. Even the soldiers and leaders of the nation are amazed by the authority with which He speaks.
The whole nation seems to be in an uproar about this man. He is radical and powerful in all He does. Every chance you get you hear Him speak and you follow Him. You even begin to believe that you could give up everything and follow Him. It gets to the point where everything in you longs to be near Him and to take in each word like a breath of air and a drink of cool water.
One day He comes riding into Jerusalem and he is hailed by all as a King! You even find yourself shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” You are now convinced with everything in you that He is the One who will deliver the nation and your family. Finally, the Messiah, the Redeemer and Restorer of Israel is here!
Then, suddenly, it all changes. In one horrible moment, your hopes, your dreams, your whole life seems to stop as you see Him die as a criminal on a cross. How can this be? How can the hope we have all had be dashed to pieces when everything was racing toward a glorious victory? How can it all be dead now? You are shattered. You whole life seems to be devastated.
Now, to make matters worse, his body was now missing from the tomb and there were rumors flying everywhere. This is where we pick up the story on a certain road leading to a town called Emmaus, some 7 miles from Jerusalem.
Read Luke 24:13-36
In the story we see that Cleopas and his companion were so distressed by the recent events that they could not even discern that it was Jesus Himself who was walking with them and who, in fact, by His very presence confirmed the reality of the rumors they were hearing. Their grief became a blindfold to the reality of God’s work in and around them.
We find a similar thing taking place at the tomb when Mary Magdalene, full of grief, does not recognize Jesus as He speaks to her. Her grief was a sort of blindfold and she nearly missed the miracle!
“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).” John 20:11-16
Many times in our grief we unknowingly take a blind fold and place it over our spiritual eyes to where we can’t see the reality of what God wants to do in our situation. Many times it is because of intense pain or sorrow, or sometime even anger at what has happened to us. Our circumstances are many times so overwhelming that we can’t see the forest through all the trees. We see bark everywhere, but the beauty of the creation of God around us is lost in the mire of our despair.
As we look at our passage in Luke 24 we find a number of truths about how God relates to us in our times of great need and when we find ourselves in a spiritual state of blindness due to our circumstances.
The first things we notice is in verse 15 where it says that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. Jesus knows our pain and our hurt. He knows the confusion that we feel and the questions that we have and it is He who takes the initiative to come to us in our time of great need. He hears our cries and our prayers and He comes as a result of our deep hurt. He knows our hurts and has been there too!
a. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
The second thing we find is that He stays close to our pain. Not only did he walk with them but he came to them on the third day, perhaps only hours after His resurrection. He never leaves us alone in our grief but walks with us. He is always near and has given us this promise throughout the Word of God.
b. “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6
c. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deut. 31:6
d. “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5
e. "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Genesis 28:15
The third thing we find is that in our times of trouble, Jesus takes us back to those altars of remembrance in our lives. You know, all the times He has been faithful and true in our past to remind us that He will continue to be faithful and true in our today and our tomorrow.
f. He lets Cleopas testify of all that was in his heart and then Jesus explains things in detail from the scriptures. In our times of trouble, we must find that anchor, that foundation that is true and stable to help us gain perspective.
i. Hebrews 6:19 says that the hope of Jesus is the Anchor of our souls. It keeps us tethered to that which does not drift.
Lastly, Jesus uses our pain and hurts to reveal His greater purpose and to open our eyes to what He is going to do in our situation. He removes our spiritual blinders if we are willing and allow Him to work in our lives, so the we do not miss the miracle! If we will allow Him, He is more than willing and more than able to bring us through our circumstances to a new glorious future. It will be different, it will be new, but it will be better than we could have ever imagined.
Remember, these two who walked with Jesus were not bystanders. They were two disciples that had been with Jesus and walked with Him in His ministry. They were among those who had not turned back from following Jesus when many other did. These were seasoned, mature, and committed disciples of Jesus and in their grief and confusion they had failed to discern the voice of God Who walked with them for 7 miles!
We can be strong and mature believers and still get derailed by devastating circumstances. We can easily take our eyes off Jesus if we’re not careful. It is imperative that when times are good that we send our roots deep that when the trials of life come we are not blown over and toppled in our faith.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8
Remember, Jesus’ main mission when He came to this earth was rebuilding and restoring the heaping piles of devastation in our lives. When Jesus started His public ministry in the Synagogue in His home town, He quoted from Isaiah 61 which says:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
He leaves off here in the Gospels…but the remaining years of His ministry tell the rest of the story…
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations."
Jesus came to rebuild the ruins and devastation in our lives. He has taken the old burnt stones from our lives and rebuilt us better than ever!
It is my prayer that today that as you hear the voice of God speaking to your heart that you will not harden your heart, but that you will take warning and push the roots of your faith deep into the soil of God and allow Him to establish you strong and mighty. For there are coming times that are going to be difficult for all of us that call Jesus Lord. We must be ready to endure hard times and to prevail. Allow the Word of God to burn in your heart and yearn for Him more than anything in life. Do not cling to the things of this world but cling to Him.
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