“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6 ESV
Friends, yes indeed our world/country currently is a mess. But it is also true that our world has always been a mess. No matter the climate of war or peace, decay or flourishing, we have *always* been called to abide in Him, seek justice, and walk humbly with our God. We are to cry out alongside David:
“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.” ~Psalm 131
Goodness, rightful actions, convictions, and comfort will flow from HIM, from His spoken Word, through to us when we abide with Him.
END TIMES
So as a response to some of the “end of the world” language we are beginning to see, with coronavirus, conspiracy theories, implanted chips via vaccine, etc.. I personally don’t have the answers but I think we need to be careful and we need to think about the language of Scripture. And perhaps we need to consider that the world can *seem* particularly worse right now but is this actually the case? We should take into consideration the fact that we have instant access to see and hear about so many events via media and technology like never before. Shouldn’t this be a factor to consider? So for all end-times/apocalypse/natural disasters/mandates etc. please check out THIS hour long video (I watched it during quiet-time) at some point. I found it very helpful.
CURRENT CLIMATE
In terms of the climate of our country in 2020 and our world at this time, with the BLM movement, political unrest and so forth, I think it’s important to look at history and what Francis Schaeffer had to say from his How Should We Then Live book/series: (If you have not read or watched this series, I highly recommend. It is free on YouTube.)
Francis Schaeffer argued that when there is no biblical base for a society or culture, there will be apathy, decline, chaos, bloodshed, and sometimes collapse. (My paraphrase not his words exactly.) When we look at past cultures (starting with the Roman Empire), art, and revolutions, it was always the cultures of men built upon God’s Word (being the final authority) that led to justice and more peaceful living because God’s Word gave/gives absolutes. Historically, it was humanist thought (where man is the center of all things) that mainly led to a twisted view of race and terrible distribution of wealth because there were no absolutes, there was no basis for right and wrong. So we (civilizations) either build from man or we build from Truth.
Take DaVinci for example, he was the embodiment of a true Renaissance man. He could do everything and do it well. He understood that humanism had no unity to give man meaning and universals. So we are left with simple mechanics. He tried to portray the soul, capture its visibility, and he failed. The natural conclusion of humanism is pessimism and it ends in despair. If we begin with that which is finite, we will simply never come to any meaning or universal.
SO NOW WHAT?
How are we to respond to every new twisted discovery in our world? Every new level of depravity? Every new form the enemy takes? We are to respond with a continual devotion to Christ, a mind of discernment, and a heart of love (that leads to fruit/action) that only He can give us. And “we know love by this, that he (Christ Jesus) laid down his life for us- and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”
So if we agree with Schaeffer, that cultures suffer when they are not built on a solid Biblical base where Scripture alone is authority, then we simply ought to start living in accordance with what the Bible actually says and instructs us on how to live. Period. We ought to flee from humanist thought that raises autonomous man above God. We need to raise the next generation to KNOW and understand Truth.
And as always, if you are a follower of Jesus, continue to abide in Him, seek justice, and walk humbly with our God! Make informed choices. Do your very best to protect your family. Do not fear! He alone can bear reality and has. We know that in this life we will have many troubles, but he has overcome the world! Trust in him. Trust in him.
Give.them.beauty 