“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4)
Being a Christian doesn’t change what we deal with. Being a Christian changes how we deal it.
Life is life.
As the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote so eloquently in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Such is life. The difference is how we respond to life.
The key is seeking the LORD. Don’t just think your way through things. Seek God and God’s will. In every situation, in times of joy and in uncertainty, seek the LORD.
He is our strength. He is our comfort. He is our deliverer. He is our Savior.
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
One of the most important understandings of Christian theology is reality of the second coming of Christ and the final judgment. Both these realities speak of God’s providence and sovereignty.
God’s providence means that God has a plan and purpose for our world
God’s sovereignty means that God is in control
Here is why this is so important.
The world you and I live in screams “There is no God.” “God is dead.” “If there is a God, and God is good, how could such atrocities take place?”
God’s answer to these questions is God’s providence and sovereignty.
You see, I don’t know how what’s happening in Afghanistan, Haiti, Louisiana is good. I don’t know how the threats against women and Christians by the Taliban will work for the good. In the same way, I don’t know how the deaths of six million Jews under Hitler was good. I don’t know.
But I thank God for God’s providence and sovereignty. You see, what God’s providence and sovereignty promises me is that there will come a day when all will have to bow their knees at the name of Jesus and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
That includes the Nazis. That includes the Taliban.
Christ followers will bow our knees in worship and joy. Christ-followers will delightfully declare with our tongues that Jesus is Lord.
The Taliban and the Nazis too will bow their knees in abject horror at the reality that their actions and deeds are coming under judgment. And to the terror of the Taliban and Nazis, they will confess with their tongues, “Oh no! Jesus really is Lord!”
God’s providence and sovereignty absolutely matters.
Without it, the Taliban and the Nazis go free without judgment against them. And that would be the most horrific injustice.
So, Christian. Know this: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
“Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you” (Psalm 55:22).
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
These days, I can’t read verses like this without thinking about the devastation left by Hurricane Ida, Haiti, the nightmare of Afghanistan and the Taliban, the rising number of Covid cases in our country and the world around us.
I can’t help but wonder what it would be like a Christian in Afghanistan who have been visited by the Taliban telling them, “We know who you are and we are coming to get you.”
These Bible promises of God’s comfort and care read differently when I place myself in the place of Afghan Christians in a country ruled by the Taliban.
I know. This has been a stressful and exhausting season. And, instead of getting easier, it only seems to get worse.
What more can happen? I thought we were almost out of this whole Covid thing. Instead, we’re seeing some of the worst numbers. And to top it off, Afghanistan, Taliban, Haiti, Hurricane Ida. How much more, Lord?
Come on! God, what is going on?!?!
If you’re feeling that, I get it. I feel that too.
So, what are we supposed to do with God’s promises when living in a world that seems out of control? What’s more true? God’s promises or the reality of our world?
First thing to know: God’s promises are true. When we go to God with our burdens, he takes care of us. He gives us rest.
If God gives us his care and rest, how come I don’t feel it right now?
The truth of God’s comfort and care doesn’t mean life is without its trials and difficulties. Trusting and believing in God doesn’t mean that God removes us from the world that is full of suffering and trials. Trusting and believing in God does mean that God will use suffering and trials to bring about his kingdom. God gives suffering and trials purpose and meaning. Nothing is wasted. Not one tear. Not one prayer. Not one hope.
The thing that we want is for God to establish the fullness of the kingdom of God in our lifetime. We want to see God’s fullness right now, in our lifetime. But God doesn’t think in life times. God’s kingdom purpose is multi-generational. It is eternal.
We get to be a part of God’s kingdom building that spans the generations and lifetimes.
I don’t get suffering and trials. I don’t like them either. I hate the thought of Afghan Christians under the threat of the Taliban. I don’t know how martyrdom is good.
But, ultimately, my job isn’t to “get it” and understand God’s plan. My job is to trust God’s plan and join God in establishing his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. And, that’s your job too.
Take your burdens to God. Let him know how you’re feeling. Let him know your hurts. And receive his rest and care. Be reminded of God’s eternal, multi-generational kingdom plan. God’s plan is much, much bigger than our lifespan.
Praxis: Faith in Action 