JESUS OF THE SCARS

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"Is He willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then He is impotent. Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent. Is He both able and willing? Whence then is evil?" Therefore, how can an all powerful and all knowing God who loves his people permit evil to exist on His earth?”
David Hume 1711-1776



I have had a glorious morning in Him, as I pondered the subject of Hume's questions. I can but think, is it no wonder the Bible calls such, the "Mystery of Iniquity." Along side my contemplations, I read many awesome things and I believe, even shared some awesome things with others. However, above all, I found this below, to be the most awesome and is it no wonder, that it speaks to the Cross of Christ, a place I am bound never to leave, until I find myself in His likeness.

May God bless you with the reading of Edward Shilito's poem, "Jesus of the Scars", penned as he found himself sickened by the tragedy of suffering and death in the "great war". As an epilogue, are the thoughts of Olsen and Piper. I took the liberty to enlarge the latter by removing one word, "Calvinism" and then adding a phrase.


Oh, that Calvin, might himself, have added "all men" to the determinism of God. For God is determined to see "all men saved." Thank God, we have and share the greater hope and the real "Good News!"
Jack


Jesus of the Scars

If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.

If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.


Our belief in God's sovereignty does not offer a "seemingly simple answer to the problem of evil." Rather, it bows in humility to what God has revealed. And it gazes with faith and hope at the zenith of that revelation in the crucified Savior. When understanding fails and questions remain, we look at the Jesus of the scars and remember that our God--the only God there is--was wounded for us, and we let His wounds speak to ours.



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