The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right. The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?” But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. Psalm 11:2-4a NLT
If ever there was a time when Psalm 11 rang true (aside from the time of David when the psalm was written, of course), it is today. In the US in particular, we are seeing the foundations of law and order collapse. These are strange times, to say the least, and it can be easy to follow a path of anxiety and fear.
If you watch any variety of "news" at all - and I use that term loosely, because these days it is hard to discern fact from fiction - but, if you watch, read, or listen to news these days, there is little doubt that fear is driving the train. And when fear is driving, we should not expect a good outcome. We residents of the freest nation in the world have voluntarily surrendered so much of our freedom in recent days, it is hard to recognize that we are still living in the United States of America. And UNITED is definitely not the word that comes to mind when I look at what is happening in our country!
But the crisis we are facing is not actually a political one, though MUCH is wrong in the political realm. This is not a crisis of race or so-called "social justice," though the media would suggest that this is the most critical issue of our day. The crisis is not even a health crisis, contrary to the headlines that suggest that if we go about our daily lives as we have always done, we are evil, homicidal bullies. The true crisis is SPIRITUAL!
Surrounded by people who do not know Jehovah, who have not entered into relationship with His Son Jesus Christ, and who do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to be their Comforter, is it any wonder that our country is spiraling into chaos?
I am reminded of an old Moody science video that I saw as a child and that I replay for the kids in my care regularly. In this video (I encourage you to follow the link at the end of this post to view the video for yourself), we see illustrated the impact of a pilot trying to navigate with only his senses to the exclusion of his instruments. The message here is on the importance of faith, and understanding that things are not always what they appear to be. As a pilot who trusts his feelings over his instruments can quickly spiral to the ground and meet a fiery demise, so a person who chooses feeling over faith is headed to a similar end.
As Christians, we are called to live by faith. We are warned in Scripture to be careful about trusting our feelings (see Jeremiah 17:9, for starters). As believers, we are at a distinct advantage in times such as exist in our day. Unlike the world around us, we have an excellent - perfect, actually - source for truth and wisdom. We do not have to walk by feelings!
But what about the people around us? What about the lost?
Well, the first question that comes to mind is, "Why are the people around us lost?" Yes, I realize they have free will, and they must make their own choice to place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. But do they know that? Have WE told them abut Christ?
The folks around us have no choice but to walk by feelings, and so it should not surprise us that the predominant feelings that are being manifest are fear and anger. These people do not have the benefit of God's words in Psalm 23 to comfort them in the event of illness. They do not have the reassurance of Psalm 139 to remind them that they were not only known by God before conception, but their days were already numbered, and so NOTHING will take their lives until all of those numbered days are lived out. Without the "instruments" of scripture and faith in God, the world at large is spiraling toward a fiery death, and while they don't really understand what is happening, they know that they are afraid.
The fear that is driving our nation and our world is not going to suddenly go away. There truly are not good answers to the questions at hand without a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. But with such faith, everything can change.
Instead of falling into fear and anxiety at this critical point in history, let us remember our call to love the unlovely. Is there really anyone you hate so much that you would not want them to have the opportunity to be saved?
Our government, doctors, scientists, and activists cannot solve the greatest problem facing our country and our world today. Only the church can do that. BE THE CHURCH! That is what the righteous can do. Share your faith. Live out your faith. And remember that the people around you only have their feelings to work with, unless YOU share with them a better way.
The Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.
... Just a thought...
Here's that link (you may have to copy and paste, as the link doesn't seem to be publishing correctly, or just go to YouTube and search "Moody Signposts Aloft"). Do yourself a favor and check it out. It's an "oldie," but it's so good!
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