Daily Encouragement

Friday, August 4, 2023

Early this morning at the Corn Wagon produce stand in New Danville, PA.

You can't get it much fresher than this!
(Click on photo to enlarge.)

"When We Wonder Why"

Message summary: Let us heed the Scripture's warning today, we may wonder why but most importantly we must repent!

Listen to our message on your audio player.

"Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish" (Luke 13:4,5).

Last week when we were in Kansas City we walked through Crown Center, an urban renewal project from the 1970's that has stayed renewed (unlike so many other "urban renewal efforts" in my observation). Crown Center is a large shopping and entertainment district with several high end hotels, shops and the headquarters of Hallmark Cards. While there we walked through the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel which at the time was hosting some type of electronic engineering conference.

This lobby underwent a massive tragedy 42 years ago when the hotel was known as the Hyatt Regency. During a tea dance on July 17, 1981 with over 1,600 in attendance a walkway in the lobby collapsed killing 114 and injuring 216. The Hyatt Regency collapse remains the deadliest, non-deliberate structural failure in American history.

We were in Kansas City for an evangelism conference several weeks after the disaster which understandably had a terrific impact on the entire city. When we were there the sense of grief and loss was palpable. The owner of the Kansas City Star newspaper guessed that the huge victim count ensured that "virtually half the town was affected directly or indirectly by the horror of the tragedy". My long-time friend Dave Simpson was driving through the city and heard the news right after the collapse and stopped by before many of the emergency vehicles even arrived. He has some vivid memories he can't erase of what he witnessed at the tragic sight.

Of course determining the cause of the collapse was of major interest but that's another story (a very interesting one and one we may pursue in another message).

In Luke 13 Jesus alludes to the collapse of a tower in Jerusalem that killed eighteen. Of course there were likely many others injured. When things like this happen we wonder why. That can be an important quest especially in the sense of preventing it from happening again. When the Hyatt reopened local authorities reported that the $5 million hotel reconstruction made the building "possibly the safest in the country".

However Jesus doesn't answer the "why" question in regard to the Siloam Tower collapse. Indeed Jesus does not provide an answer to many of our "why" questions. When things like this happen we want to know "Why did this happen?" or as believers more specifically, "Why did God allow this to happen?" Really, in our hearts we want to know how an unexplainable tragedy relates to God being in control.

But He clearly rebukes the simpleton mentality of those who have the view that the eighteen who died "were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem". We have occasionally encountered a similar attitude when an individual sees suffering in someone else, essentially asserting that the suffering must either be due to a lack of faith or some underlying sin. This is a profane form of spiritual pride. We are all sinners and we all have deficiencies in our faith.

Whatever the circumstance or cause, when death comes people grieve deeply. We consider the agonizing death of these 18 and the grief of their family members, co-workers and friends some 2,100 years ago.

Rather than answering the "why" question Jesus deals with a bigger and ultimately much more important issue. Hear the words of our ever truthful Lord, "But unless you repent, you too will all perish". "Perish" in this context has to do with our eternal state apart from repentance similar to how the word is used in John 3:16. The emphasis of our Lord is in being ready for eternity.

Have you repented of your sins? Are you ready to meet your Maker right now if it's your time?

Here's a common prayer that expresses repentance to God and a desire to follow in His ways. I urge you to pray this prayer from your heart today:

"Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and I am turning to You in repentance, asking You to forgive me of my sins. I believe that You came to this earth and died on the cross as a substitute for me. I place my faith in You and the salvation You provided for me. I receive You into my life and choose this day to follow in Your ways and serve You. Thank You for hearing my prayer."

Presenting ourselves to God is how we begin our new life as a Christian. It doesn't matter how sordid or troubled our lives are, if we come to Him in faith, God hears us and receives us as His sons and daughters. I earnestly pray that everyone reading this has already done or will do so.

Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, none of us knows the hour nor manner in which we will leave this life. Deaths result from accidents, disease and natural disasters for both the godly and ungodly. But there is sweet assurance for those of us who remain when our loved ones die who are believers. It's a fact that we will all one day perish so we want to be prepared for that great and final event by repenting of our sins and living a life that properly prepares us for the judgment. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Additional study: The portion of Scripture used in today's encouragement has long intrigued me. Jesus referred to a contemporary tragedy that was in the news at the time when He referred to an accident in which the tower in Siloam fell on eighteen people and they died as a result. To me this is verification of the integrity of the Bible as Jesus addresses a real contemporary event not unlike troubling events that happen in our lives. No further details are given and we are left to wonder whether it was a construction accident or failure of the tower after it had been constructed.

Tragedy may not come for you in a construction accident, car crash or deadly disease but this universal truth from Hebrews 9 asserts, "It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment". This is our most certain appointment. We must all heed the words of Jesus, "Unless you repent, you too will all perish". Again we ask, Have you repented of your sins and turned to the Lord for His salvation?

Jesus addressed the presumption held by many that surely those who died were "more guilty" than others living in Jerusalem at the time. (The converse wording is that those who didn't die surely must have been "more righteous" than those who did.) Again Jesus answers His own question by repeating, "I tell you, no! (That is, they weren't more guilty.) But unless you repent, you too will all perish".

God doesn't always act according to our expectations and that's a critical test of faith, particularly when we deal with the great "why" questions. But He is always in absolute control even when the situation we experience seems contrary to that truth.

Today we want to encourage each reader, especially those of you who are facing a difficult situation as you read this. May the Lord give you a deep and abiding assurance of His steadfast love and care. Indeed, He is in control!

Among my most poignant memories of instant death took place while I was on a mission trip to Columbia over thirty years ago. We were returning on the mountain roads to Bogota and came upon an accident where a bus had run over a bicyclist just moments earlier. I still recall seeing the body of the dead cyclist covered by a bloody blanket with a weeping friend kneeling beside him.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"What He's Done" Click to watch on YouTube Click to watch on YouTube Kristian Stanfill, Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Anna Golden

"Jesus is Mine" Click to watch on YouTube Click to watch on YouTube Click to watch on YouTube Jordan Kauflin & Matt Merker

Hyatt Regency walkway collapse (Wikipedia article)

This Mennonite farmer is transporting a wagon load of straw. Although it looks like he's on some back road with little traffic he's actually entering a major intersection on US Highway 322 east of Ephrata, PA.

The Corn Wagon Produce Stand in New Danville, PA supplies many wagon loads of freshly picked corn but supplies other home-grown produce such as these giant peaches in Brooksyne's dutch oven.
The Corn Wagon of New Danville, PA

Right beside us as we podcast our daily encouragements are these three furry pals. Sadie is spilling over, but they seem to enjoy the snuggling.

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

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