Father,

I’m sure if Your children could mail letters up there, the mail-room would be overflowing right now.  I cannot be alone in this – others must be feeling as bewildered and overwhelmed as I do.  It’s not as if we didn’t have prior warning.  You were careful about that, sending Jesus to bring fair warning Himself.  You used Your prophets, Your apostles and you are still using them today.

Not one of us, Your children, can claim ignorance.  We know You said  “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,  unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,…” (2 Timothy 3:1 – 3) among many other things.

You know, Father, though I have seen much evil during my lifetime, somehow I had been deceived at how evil pure evil can be and how deceptive our hearts are.  I read scriptures like Jeremiah 17:9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? I thought I knew how bad “bad” can be, but I was terribly wrong.

Social media has enlightened me to the depravity outside my neat and tidy little Christian bubble.  The shock and horror to hear a brightly colored, gaudily dressed young woman say “I am a Christian and I know what you are talking about is sin, the Bible says so, but I am not against it” knocked the wind out of me today, not because I am under any illusion that these kinds of mindsets are prevalent, but because I feel that somehow, somewhere, someone missed the boat.

I also know to assign blame is such a “religious, subject-to-the-law” thing to do, yet I cannot help but think somewhere there was someone who had an assignment to teach this young one who missed the mark.  “Holy” has become the unspeakable four-letter word and “responsibility” has long ago made place for “rights”.  I know, Father, that there are many beautiful young people, making You so proud as they run their race with perseverance and integrity, but like Jesus, as much as I rejoice over the 99, I feel so heartbroken for the lost one.

Changing the subject a little Father, I have to tell You I have always admired the way You work.  That story about Balaam and his donkey…priceless!  Maybe it’s because You have given me an eye for the absurd. I know You don’t need reminding Lord, but I will share it, just in case someone else might need reminding.

…When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What I have done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.”…Numbers 22”27 – 29

I’m still trying to make up my mind…which is more absurd, a donkey speaking to a man or a man answering a donkey?

It just came to me that You might be using these people, the “lovers of self, boastful, arrogant, revilers, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, without self-control, brutal, haters of good” people we were warned about, to prophesy, just like You used that donkey to speak. You comfort us with these words all the time “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 and “Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends.” John 15:13

Every time I see #LoveWins I feel like I am about to hyperventilate, but now I ask that You would remind me of Your Son, and of Your great and amazing love for us all and I ask that everyone who uses that hashtag would be prophesying over themselves an encounter with Love Himself.  I want to pray like Habakkuk did “LORD , I have heard the report about You; LORD , I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years; make it known in these years. In Your wrath remember mercy!  I ask Lord, that You would again send holy fire upon Your Son’s bride, that You would purify us once again.

I feel so much better for talking to You, thank You that I know You hear me.

Much love

Nicky