Terrors on every side.

Lamentations 2:20-22, Look, O LORD, and consider: whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? On the ground in the streets lie young and old, my virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword. Thou hast slain them in the day of Thine anger, Thou hast slaughtered, not sparing. Thou didst call as in the day of an appointed feast my terrors on every side; And there was no one who escaped or survived in the day of the LORD’S anger. Those whom I bore and reared, my enemy annihilated them.

It’s challenging to read these scriptures in a day when the focus is on the love, grace and mercy of God. There’s a lot of focus on terrorism in our world today and it is taken seriously enough that we have made major changes in trying to reduce threats. Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; perhaps we ought also to have more concern about the terror that the Lord can bring?

We have only to look at the horror of the cross to know that You have dealt seriously with sin; we thank You that You have provided salvation in Jesus to be saved from Your ultimate terror.