Salvation Is Here!

God above all the world in motion
God above all my hopes and fears
And I don't care what the world throws at me now
I'm gonna be alright!

Hear the sound of the generations
Making loud our freedom song
All in all that the world would know Your name
It's gonna be alright

Cause I know my God saved the day
And I know His word never fails
And I know my God made a way for me
Salvation is here

Salvation is here
Salvation is here and He lives in me
Salvation is here
Salvation that died just to set me free
Salvation is here
Salvation is here and He lives in me
Salvation is here
Cause You are alive and You live in me

These were the words that ended our time of prayer and worship at American University last night. These students had endured two days of agony. Many students wondering if their high school friend was okay, trying to bust through blocked cell lines, or work the web to find out any information they could on all their friends that attended school there. As information became available new questions and realizations began to arise as well. Some began to wonder if their friend would pull through in the hospital. Some faced the sad news their friends had in fact seen some of the horrific scenes take place. Some came to the deafening realization they had in fact lost those they knew. And in fact their world would never be the same.

Or even for those who had no direct connection to victims, their friends were still there at the school down the road enduring this tragedy. They knew this could have sadly happen on their campus or any campus in the nation. That realization is a sobering one, and one that brings me to tears for the world we live in today. It has been a trying last couple of days for me personally. These events had brought back many memories of my past, the Bonfire Tragedy while I was in school myself at Texas A&M, or the days waiting to hear on my family in New Orleans. There is this sense of uselessness in these types of situations and that is when as I said before God brings us to our knees and all we can do is pray and worship Him, in that He is still in control and He still has a plan.

Last night I think I caught a glimpse of that plan as I stood with my college students at American University. Students who had entered just an hour earlier confused and stunned were now praising the Lord with tears streaming down their faces. Some of these students had only become Christians in the past year and this event could have shaken their faith but as they praised the Lord and were walking out there was a sense of hope, a sense of relief that the Lord was still in control. Many times as Christians we know that in our minds but when events such as those that took place at Virginia Tech happen we have a hard time feeling it in our being. I wish each and every one of you could have stood in that sanctuary last night. It was an unbelievable feeling that brought me to tears. And these were not tears over the tragedy, while that feeling is still with me, these were tears of joy at the light we see coming.

These students knew that their God HAD saved the day! They knew His love NEVER fails. And they knew that while this tragic event would be with them forever and change them forever they knew He had made a way for them! It was a joyous night in the midst of a crazy time.

I continue to beg for your prayers as many of the names are now confirmed and 5 of the victims and the shooter are from our area. And our students are their friends and their families grace the halls of our church. I know Salvation is here and it is living in the college generation!