This has been a hard week. As I solidified last week’s post, I was in tears. I didn’t even share the post on social media. Having heard the news of Charlie Kirk being assassinated, I found myself at a loss for words. This man of God, someone who wasn’t ashamed of his Lord and Savior, was abruptly silenced. Or was he?
Scripture tells us that we will be persecuted for our faith – even put to death – but until last week, that warning felt so very far off. Surely not death. I assumed we might experience teasing, bullying and ridicule, but not death… we’re more advanced, more civilized, than people were in biblical times. But I’m not so sure anymore.
We may have technology they didn’t, but has that technology drawn us closer to our Creator or imposed a distance that seems too great to take back? While it certainly has its perks in our faith – being able to spread the gospel with the touch of a button or the click of a mouse – technology has given us the ability to see things we should never see, hear things we should never hear, and has opened the door for evil to waltz in and dance with our children.
I am not against technology, but I can see how it has damaged our relationship with God, our family, and caused division in our nation. Charlie Kirk had a passion to bridge the gap of that division, to help direct people towards healing for the hurts, and most of all to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the devil hated him for it.
I’ve been reading through the Old Testament and needed a bit of a break from Leviticus. The different offerings became too much with so many details. I decided to flip over to the book of Psalms. This was on Tuesday, but even with the upheaval that came on Wednesday – and the grief that followed – this one verse has been playing on repeat in my heart.
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 NIV
As the horror of last Wednesday (September 10, 2025) unfolded, this verse kept showing up in my mind. I kept going back to the words wait expectantly. This continued as Thursday and Friday came and went while the world reacted to the news of Charlie Kirk’s death. It continued as I read and watched reports showing places like South Korea, Australia, and the UK honoring the life of Charlie Kirk.
As the weekend came and went, there were others. Social media posts and comments were prevalent about buying a Bible for the first time – and starting to read it. Others surrendered to the pull of going to church – many churches experienced standing-room-only situations! Others who once claimed to be atheists came to recognize that Jesus Christ is the Son of God! There is an unknown number of people who either accepted Jesus for the first time, recommitted their lives to the Lord, or saw lifestyle choices that they needed to turn away from.
But those two words didn’t lose their volume. Wait expectantly.
As I’ve been pondering these two words and doing a bit of introspection, I felt a small stirring of hope. It’s only been a week… but God’s not done yet.
Naturally, I got a bit curious about what wait expectantly meant. There’s of course the obvious meaning, but there’s so much more depth in the Hebrew language than in the English language. Looking up the words wait expectantly, we find the word ṣāp̄â (Strong’s H6822). It’s a verb that means to peer into the distance, to observe, to await, to look up, to keep the watch, and watchmen.
For believers, God promises that He will bring good from even the most horrific moments (Romans 8:28). Even the evil that comes at us, God uses that for good (Genesis 50:20)! In light of what so many saw last week, I know that this can seem hard to believe… but we’re already seeing it!
And more’s coming.
Coupling the promise that God will turn these events to good with the knowledge that we’re not facing mere bullying and ridicule – but even the loss of life – I can’t help but want what so many saw Charlie Kirk walk out. I want the peace that only a daily relationship with Jesus can give. I want the boldness to speak truth in love and respect. I want to be known for the courage of my faith.
For the first time in my adult life, I’m recognizing what this is, this longing for the more that’s coming.
That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. Romans 8:18-21 MSG
… The joyful anticipation deepens…
All around the world, we know the more is coming. We can feel a charge in the air… and the joyful anticipation deepens. There’s a renewed hunger for God. There’s a charge in the very air we breathe! It’s palpable! And the watchmen are out – en masse – scanning the horizon.
If you’re feeling that same charge and have never made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, now is the time. It’s time to accept God’s free gift of grace. No matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’ve said, and no matter what you’ve thought, God loves you and made the ultimate sacrifice for you. God has more grace than you have sin.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 NLT
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.” John 5:24-25 NLT
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Romans 10:9-11 NLT
While the grief is very real for so many – especially the family of Charlie Kirk – I pray that we keep our eyes focused on the horizon with deep, joyful anticipation of God’s glory being revealed. If you’ve recently made a decision to accept Jesus’ gift of grace and need direction, please send me an email (ohblessitgrace@gmail.com) or leave a comment. I would love to connect, answer any questions you might have (or try to), and welcome you to the family.
Let’s be ready – more is coming.