Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
The most common phrase spoken by God to human beings in the Bible is simply, “Do Not Be Afraid.” God says this over and over again because God knows us intimately and God knows that we are afraid. Our confidence is shaken easily. Like children, the terrors of the night and the terrors of our imaginations render us sleepless as we consider the many things that threaten our peace of mind.
In Luke Chapter 21, Jesus said, “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, there will be earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.”
Recently, it has seemed like our world is spinning out of control. Earthquakes, hurricanes, Ukraine, flooding in Texas, unrest on our streets and a general unrest among the nations of the world. God’s Word to us is this, “Do Not Be afraid.”
Perhaps, it seems like your life is spinning out of control. Bankruptcy, a loss of independence, divorce, empty nest, the sudden loss of a loved one, career change, unemployment, general aging, advancing forgetfulness, or maybe death is knocking at your door, and your doctors offer no options for healing. God’s Word to us is this, “Do Not Be Afraid.”
History is a great teacher. Some of you lived through the McCarthy era in the 1950’s. Many of you remember the 1960’s, a time in our nation’s history when society and the world seemed to be unraveling. There was war in Vietnam, threat of nuclear annihilation, our civil rights leaders and politicians were being assassinated and there was unrest on the streets of our cities. Those who lived through the Second World War could tell us of a time when the very survival of the free world was in question.
History books recount many dark periods in the journey of humans on planet earth. Luther lived in the time of the Black Plague. In a four-year period, nearly 50% of the population of Europe died, but the darkness and death of the dark ages would not be the end of the world. It would mark the beginning of the Reformation and the Renaissance.
History books recount cataclysmic natural disasters. A flood in China in 1931 killed nearly 4 million people, a cyclone in Pakistan in 1970 killed 375,000 people, a volcanic eruption in Iceland in 1783 led to the deaths of millions in Europe. Natural disasters are a part of the human story but up till now, they have not marked the beginning of the end.
So, what do we do when the world or our lives seem to be spinning out of control? Well, wake up every morning and get busy. Get busy doing what you can do. If you have control over the wind and waves stop the hurricanes. If the paleotectonic plates will listen to you, then give us a break from the earthquakes. If you can talk sense to the dictator in Russia, or any wannabe dictators, then please do so.
If none of those are in your control, then find something that is. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. The world is not coming to an end. Trust God, work for justice, stand for democracy and love. That is enough for today.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
rvlindus@whidbey.com
