When life turned murky in Aurora, Colorado,

. . . friends and family of the dead and wounded asked questions. Why and how did this happen? What would possess a person to commit such an atrocious crime? We may blame it on his dilemmas, his childhood, or a wrecked brain, but the devil stirred the pot.

Dressed as the 'Joker' in Batman, this Ph.D student in neuroscience killed 12 people, and 11 of the 58 injured remain in critical condition. After midnight of July 19, 2012, devastated and shocked fans fled The Dark Knight Rises movie, their perspective jarred by the shots, the blood, and the dead bodies. 

Arriving later at the scene, one policeman commented about how weird it was to hear cell phones playing in the empty theater, and no one was there to answer. 

Bereaved families, struggling to deal with this horror, need consolation that only God can give. Pray for them.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not for I am with thee; be not dismayed for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

If I go, I will come again.

The Lord promised to return for His people. Some will go to heaven through the valley of the shadow of death, but those who are alive when Jesus returns will never see death. They will be changed to be like Christ and will go to heaven.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also.

Since heaven is the Father's house, it must be a place of love and joy. When the Apostle John tried to describe heaven, he almost ran out of symbols and comparisons (Rev. 21-22). Finally, he listed the things that wouldn't be there: Death, sorrow, crying, pain, night, etc. What a wonderful home it will be, and we will enjoy it forever.

Thro' the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight,
But I long to meet my Savior first of all
Fanny J. Crosby

The brook in the way is not about obstruction,

...but about encouragement and refreshment.

Psalm 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall he lift up the head.

David selected the five stones that killed the giant from the brook in the way. Barnabus was Paul's brook in the way, and Jonathon was David's. They are no different than we are.
 
Too often we are more like ocean water, rubbing salt in wounds, discouraging people, or we are like slimy, dead-end snake ponds with no spiritual progress. That's not how Christians ought to behave.

Everybody should and can be a brook in the way. It's so simple. It's about the water. Let God flow through you so you can refresh people in your life. Sunday school teachers, preachers, Christian parents and friends are brooks in the way. They encourage others to live for Christ. 

Do you need a brook in your way? Maybe you need to provide that fresh brook for someone else. God will open the door to fill that need. There is a world dying and going to hell. They need a brook in the way. 

If I go, I will come again; the Lord

... promised to return for His people. Some will go to heaven through the valley of the shadow of death, but those who are alive when Jesus returns will never see death.They will be changed to be like Christ and will go to heaven.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also

Since heaven is the Father's house, it must be a place of love and joy. When the Apostle John tried to describe heaven, he almost ran out of symbols and comparisons (Rev. 21-22). Finally, he listed the things that wouldn't be there: death, sorrow, crying, pain, night, etc. What a wonderful home it will be, and we will enjoy it forever.

Thro' the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight,
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Fanny J. Crosby