06/04/2026
HERE'S AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR
- Rev. Micah Rutland, OHBC
Psalm 31:9–10
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength has failed because of my iniquity, and my body has wasted away. (NASB)
I find it necessary to say a few things as a pastor to my community. This includes my church and anyone else in the New Hebron area who might take just a minute to consider the ponderings of a local pastor.
Everyone in our community is extremely heartbroken over the needless, tragic events of this week. To have lost such dear people who mean so much to so many in such a violent and senseless way is beyond tragic!
As a Christian we often respond to these national events with the phrase “They are in our thoughts and prayers.” Senseless and angry respondents will usually come back with… “we need more than thoughts and prayers.”
While I know that most folks saying the latter mean something differently, let me run with the thought of “more than just prayers….” for just a moment.
Christians do indeed need more than just thoughts and prayers, but we have to start there. Scripture shows us that the first place we should go and the first person to whom we should speak about all of our cares, concerns, and heartaches is the Lord God!
Psalm 55:22 (HCSB)
22 Cast your burden on the LORD,
and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
God is the only one who truly understands the depth of the depravity in the world around us. His heart was broken long ago because of our sin, and no matter what sin we have committed, the end result is death. Death in our personal relationships, death in our spiritual relationships, death in our eternal home, death in our temporary surroundings. Sin causes destruction. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This is why God gave us his son, that while we were yet sinners he would show his love to us and die for us so that we may live. That gift is available to all sinners!
Let our thoughts and prayers begin with that.
The natural response to the tragedy in our community will follow a pattern. Yesterday we all dealt with denial and shock. After the realization of the circumstances became concrete, many began going through the period of anger - which is a natural response to such violence. While anger is natural, it must not be the final voice in our hearts and in our heads. Scripture tells us this.
Ephesians 4:26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. (NASB)
Friends, we must be careful how we handle our anger or it will handle us. Our anger can ruin our testimony. It can close doors through which God could guide us and turn horrible events into miraculous blessings.
Proverbs 14:17 People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm. (GNT)
There are other stages in the grieving process. Different people will go through them in differing orders and for different lengths of time. People will try to bargain with God and ask Him why. This is natural as well. In my experience, it's a good thing to ask God why.
When you need to know the answer to the mysteries of life, it's better to go to the One who truly knows and ask…. And then wait for an answer.
Don’t forget the waiting part. We must wait for an answer from God before we do anything else. Wait for an answer before making rash decisions. Wait for an answer so that we may learn from the pain that we have been forced to go through.
Psalm 37:7 (HCSB)
7 Be silent before the LORD and wait expectantly for Him;
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the man who carries out evil plans.
Sooner or later everyone will have to deal with overwhelming sadness.
Such a tragic loss inflicted so suddenly is breathtaking. My favorite illustration of this type of sadness comes from “Sleepless in Seattle.” Tom Hanks's character describes the loss of his wife as a huge gaping hole that the wind blows through. His coping mechanism was to get up each day and breathe in and breathe out. His commitment to doing so until “one day the wind will not blow through, and it won’t hurt to breathe.” Search a response to this huge gaping hole in the lives of the people in our community is understandable.
Friends, just take a minute and breathe in and out. Breathe in and out before you say something. Breathe in and out before you act. Breathe in and out --- then cry out to God. Cry!
The most important stage in dealing with this type of loss is going to be forgiveness. To be able to forgive someone who has hurt you so tragically, so horrifically is almost unimaginable. Forgiveness is not just about the other person. Forgiveness is not just about the one who committed the crime. Forgiveness is about God. Forgiveness is about God trying to help you heal. To allow someone who has inflicted so much pain to continue to inflict pain in your life daily gives that person more power than they've ever had before. Forgiveness, by definition, is separating that person from the act and from your life.
The act was horrific!
The person was possessed by evil.
Repaying evil for evil allows the original sin to live in your life.
Allowing God to deal with the murderer will allow you freedom to heal. Allowing God to deal with the person who committed this crime will allow God to make something wonderful from something horrible.
Will you allow God to perform a miracle in your life and in our community?
Truthfully, I have had issues in my life from which I have not completely healed nor completely been able to show total forgiveness. Because of this I can tell you from personal experience that forgiveness practiced sooner than later will provide a healing for you beyond compare.
You may not be able to get there today, but please turn your eyes toward Jesus and begin walking in that direction.
Ephesians 4:31–32
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB)
Let me make a few suggestions for some ways that you can begin dealing with this pain and loss. –
- First of all, go to God! Until you've spoken to God about it, don't speak to anyone else.
- Secondly, share with friends and fellow Christians. Share personally. Avoid easily misunderstandable social media posts.
- Thirdly, Go to church. The fellowship of the Saints is there for the building up of each other, the correction of each other, and the healing of each other. When Christians hurt don't run from the one place where other Christians should gather to help each other.
- Lastly, don't be in a hurry. Take your time and let God have control. Quality healing is slow growth.
Tragedy may come in an instance, but joy comes through the mourning.
Psalm 30:5
For His anger lasts only a moment,
but His favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may spend the night,
but there is joy in the morning.
You are LOVED.... Bro. Micah
