The Ugliness of the Fall

Yesterday our fallen world was poignantly pointed out to me through the death of a beautiful bird.  I opened the upstair curtains early in the morning and below saw a bird in the grass.  I immediately thought it could be an immature robin although I did not see movement.

With further investigation I discovered it was an adult robin, dead, with its eyes gone. Memories rushed back and a scenario came into my mind of what could have happened.  

Days earlier I had happily found a nest in our flowering crabapple tree with robins always near by.  The behavior of the adult birds was always completely still in trees near by. The day before I discovered this dead bird, I saw a crow fly onto a branch of the crabapple tree - which was odd. 

Now I was understanding because the nest had been destroyed.   The crow must have been feeding at this nest and possibly the parent robins were defending their babies to the death.

This is a picture of the great ugliness of the Fall of Adam so long ago. 

Always now... the creation groans.

Even more so...we groan.  From illnesses, accidents, crime, hatred, jealously, lies, agony, sadness ...death.  When will this be over and how can it be "right" again?  And where can we go?  And who can we seek?

Matthew 10:28-30
Do not fear those who kill the body
but are unable to kill the soul;
but rather fear Him who is able
to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent?
And yet not one of them
will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Even though my scenario, or a scenario, played out concerning the robins in our yard, I can KNOW that God was very aware.  And if He is aware of such a small part of His creation falling to the ground,  He certainly knows the very number of our hairs on our heads.  He is not surprised by what happens in our lives, and He is not wringing His hands with anxiety.

The Almighty God is sovereign.  We can trust Him.

John 6:68
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life."

We have the hope which is not a fantasy hope, but a real hope in a genuine and true God.  The God of the Bible.

Romans 8:14-25
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God,
these are sons of God.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery
leading to fear again, but you have received
a spirit of adoption as sons
by which we cry out, “ Abba! Father!”

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit
that we are children of God,

and if children, heirs also, heirs of God
and fellow heirs with Christ,
if indeed we suffer with Him so that
we may also be glorified with Him.

For I consider that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory
that is to be revealed to us.

For the anxious longing of the creation
waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility,
not willingly,
but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

that the creation itself also will be set free
from its slavery to corruption into the freedom
of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation
groans and suffers the pains of childbirth
together until now.

And not only this, but also we ourselves,
having the first fruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons,
the redemption of our body.

For in hope we have been saved,
but hope that is seen is not hope;
for who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see,
with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Gentle women...are you groaning with me?  Don't let the groaning over-shadow you!  Run to Him!  He is right there with you!  He is not shunning you, and your precious life has not slipped His mind.

Remember who God is and that nothing is too difficult for Him.  He is faithful and you can trust Him.  In this fallen world much can happen, and many times the LORD, in His permissive will, will allow things to continue in ways which we may view as wrong.  But He is our comfort in this fallen world.  God comforts us in our troubles, but not necessarily out of our troubles.  We have His promise of comfort.  We can surely set our hope in the One who is able to raise the dead...and yes...He will yet deliver!

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our affliction so that
we will be able to comfort those who
are in any affliction with the comfort with which
we ourselves are comforted by God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ are
ours in abundance, so also our comfort is
abundant through Christ.

But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation;
for if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which is effective in the patient enduring
of the same sufferings which we also suffer;

and our hope for you is firmly grounded,
knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings,
so also you are sharers of our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:8-14
....indeed, we had the sentence of death
within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves,
but in God who raises the dead;

who delivered us from so great a peril of death,
and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope.
And He will yet deliver us,

you also joining in helping us through your prayers,
so that thanks may be given by many persons
on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us
through the prayers of many...

Set your hope on Him and He will yet deliver us!