Finding Hope in a Horror-Filled World

“Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law” (Psalm 119:53, KJV).

There is horror in this world.

We see it on every newscast. We read it in the headlines, and worse, we experience it in our own families. Even the psalmist David knew it.

Death and destruction. Innocence stripped away. Some days we want to cover our faces and hide our eyes.

But we are hope carriers. We are called to run to the horror, not away from it. We are called to carry hope to those caught in the grips of devastation and despair.  We are the hands and feet of Jesus, and we can’t hide away from the horror in this world. Jesus didn’t.

How do we as Christians manage the horror that strikes our hearts? How do we keep it from controlling our every thought and action? How do we continue to minister in the face of evil? How do we keep it from overwhelming?

Psalm 119, the psalm that focuses so beautifully on God’s Word, gives us some guidance. Here God reminds us of hope.

“Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope” (Psalm 119:49).

The psalmist begins with hope and then goes on to tell us how to live in a horror-filled world.

• Take comfort in the fact that God has brought us from death to life (v. 50).

• Keep on obeying God (v. 50).

• Remember and take comfort in how God has worked in the past (v. 52).

• Sing (take joy in) God’s word (v. 54).

• Remember God’s name – His position and authority – by obeying Him (v.55). He is still in control.

• Give credit to God for the keeping power of His word (v. 56).

God never promised to remove us from the difficulty and evil that is rooted in the world’s systems. In fact, He told us to expect trouble as long as we live on this earth (John 16:33). He did promise that He would be with us and that through Him we can be overcomers in this life.

Horror hurts,

but God is greater than the horrors of this world.

Only as we set our hearts and eyes on Him and stand on His word can we maneuver through the swamps that surround us.

Only as we look to Him can we continue to carry His light into the darkness of this world. The hopeless need His light, and we are His light bearers. It’s time to let those lights shine brightly as we walk through each day.

^“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: ¹⁵ That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; ¹⁶ Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain” (Philippians 2:14 – 16).

Light meets darkness.