It grieves me to consider that on this 24th anniversary of 9/11 that terrorism is not only a foreign enemy, but it is us. Evil is among us. It always has been. But today it feels more obvious.
In recent days, we’ve heard news of school shootings in Minneapolis, MN and yesterday in Evergreen, CO. We’ve seen videos of the brutal murder of a young Ukrainian woman traveling on public transit in Charlotte, NC and the assassination of Charlie Kirk while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT. It occurs to me that such evil is happening every day around the world, but we’re not always aware of it. But God is. He sees it all.
Yesterday morning, I posted this devotion I wrote from Isaiah 6:1. It seems appropriate to post it again:
THE TRUE KING IS STILL ON THE THRONE
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1 ESV).
Isaiah carefully dates his vision to “the year that King Uzziah died” (ca. 740 BC). Uzziah had reigned for fifty-two years, bringing prosperity and stability to Judah. His death marked the end of an era and the beginning of uncertainty for the nation. Yet in this moment of national mourning and political instability, Isaiah was given a vision of the true King. He saw the Lord seated on heaven’s throne, sovereign and exalted, His glory filling the temple. Earthly kings come and go, but the eternal King reigns forever. The apostle John later declared that Isaiah saw the glory of Christ (John 12:41), and John’s own vision of heaven in Revelation 4–5 echoes Isaiah’s. The contrast is clear: Kings die, worldly kingdoms fall, yet the Lord reigns forever.
Where do we place our hope when earthly leaders fall or circumstances shift? Isaiah reminds us to lift our eyes from the passing thrones of this world to the eternal throne of heaven. Our security is not in human leaders, nations, or political power—all of which can vanish in a moment. Instead, our hope is in King Jesus, who sits exalted above all powers and authorities. When we feel shaken by loss or change, we can be assured that the Lord remains “high and lifted up,” reigning with wisdom, power, and holiness. Like Isaiah, we are invited to behold the King and respond in worship and obedience.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we lift our eyes to Your throne today. Comfort the families of those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Comfort us too in our grief for we feel it too. Help us not to be fearful or overcome with anger at the evil in our world, but to overcome evil by proclaiming the gospel all the more. Help us to remember that You, O Lord, remain sovereign and will one day return to judge all things and make all things right. Teach us to trust not in the things of this world but in the eternal reign of King Jesus. May our lives reflect confidence in His rule, and may we join the heavenly chorus in declaring, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.” In Jesus’ name, amen.