The Columbia Tragedy

What should we hear in our hearts?

Sunday, February 02, 2003

Pastor Joe Fuiten

We are Christian people. We listen for the voice of God in every situation including tragic ones. We do not say that God did this. We certainly do not agree with the Iraqi official who said that Allah did this and that they rejoice in the breakup of the Shuttle. (Neither will I rejoice when a cruise missile comes through his front door in about two weeks)

I was pleased with the spiritual tone set by the President in his speech to the nation. He said,

In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, 'Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing' (Isaiah 40:25-26).

The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home.

May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless America."

As I think about this, I want to hear God’s voice in my heart. I want us as a Church to hear God’s voice. I pray also that America will hear God’s voice.

When we see the fiery end of the Space Shuttle Columbia, the pride of American science and technology, it causes us to think. I am reminded of the words of the Lord to Zechariah, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Sprit, says the Lord.” Let’s take a moment and consider the biblical context for this statement from the Lord.

Scripture Reading: Zechariah 4 Page 670

1 Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. 2 He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." 4 I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" 5 He answered, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I replied. 6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. 7 "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'" 8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 10 "Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)" 11 Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?" 12 Again I asked him, "What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?" 13 He replied, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I said. 14 So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth."

The message of this text was written to encourage the Jews to get busy. They had been delivered from Babylon (536 BC) and had returned to Jerusalem. They set about to rebuild their temple. However, opposition from local neighbors and difficult circumstances caused them to eventually give up. For 16 years nothing had been happening. The temple was unfinished and the people were discouraged so God sent Zechariah and Haggai to speak his word. He gave them hope and a promise of divine aid in their struggle.

A small beginning is not to be despised. Even if it is only a plumb line to start to lay out the wall, it is an occasion for rejoicing.

As a church we could apply it to the huge HS building that we are constructing. So far only the footings are in and the basement walls are going up, but we are not despising the small beginning. We could also apply it to the Totem Lake Campus and the new church being planted there.

I remember when the 18 acres to the immediate south of this sanctuary did not belong to us. We buried a faith capsule in the ground of that land. It had a Bible in the capsule as a symbol of our trust in God. It had a dollar in it as a symbol for the money that would come in for us to get that land. We went out on a summer Sunday night, just a small group of us and planted that capsule in the group. Nine years have passed since then. Not only do we own the land but we are building upon it. I have never been able to recover that capsule. More than once we have needed that dollar.

God has always put it in the hearts of his people to fund the dreams. That being true, where do we put our trust? Isn’t it always in the Lord who first puts it in the heart and then in the ground?

Whether in times of triumph or in days of disaster, we are reminded that it is not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit.

We are reminded not to depend upon technology or equipment although they are necessary. The finest and latest equipment can fail. Sure fire things aren’t. The Spirit of God is the one thing that does not fail. Samson forgot this lesson to his demise. The strength was not his own, it was the Lord’s.

Things don’t always turn out the way they first appear. The battle is not always to the strong. The Moslems should have won at the Battle of Tours, and on the outskirts of Vienna but they did not. Maybe the Moslems should not have won the Battle for Constantinople in 1453, but despite the prayers of the citizens to the Virgin Mary, the Christians inside were destroyed. Wars don’t always go the way we think they should neither are they automatic that the good guys win.

America needs to hear this on the precipice of war with Iraq. We cannot think that our weapons are what will protect us. It is not our military that will win the war, although these things are necessary. Just because we were successful once does not guarantee that we will be the second time. We need to pray.

We need to pray for the young boys who grew up in this Sunday School and Youth Group who today wear the uniform of the US military. I am praying for Craig Caulk, Ian Carefoot, Ryan Hayes, Ben Nyquist, Kent Behrends, and Jeremy Plienas.

Even though it depends on the Lord, we don’t need to see this as random or something that we have nothing to do with. We are his workmanship. We are in the Lord’s work. We are doing what he wants us to do. There is no reason to feel ashamed or afraid. We do not need to hesitate or wonder if he will be there. He is faithful. He is good. He is attentive to the cry of his faithful ones.

It is our part to humble ourselves and pray. It is God’s part to hear and to lift up.