Word for Word 7/27/22

When Life is Scary

We live in troubled times. We are constantly confronted by headlines of war, fears of disease, concern over the economy, the dangers of violence in our cities and streets, and many other issues.

This is not the first time in history that nations have faced such challenging times. Thankfully, the Bible not only records that fact, but also gives us hope and assurance to face those times. To find that hope means learning the truths that the Bible tells us about uncertain times.

The first truth is that suffering is a part of life. The Bible says, “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7) Sometimes our troubles are the natural result of living in a world marred by sin. Floods, storms, fires and drought are part of life in our fallen world. Other times our troubles come from our own sinful lusts. Greed fosters corruption and poverty.  Lust for power and prestige leads nations into war against their neighbors. Hatred and anger leads to violence, rioting and killing.

But there are times when the suffering of a nation is the judgment of God. He once said to Israel, “Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you.”  (Jer. 18:11) God is a just judge and therefore He must judge evil. So a nation that chooses to do evil will face His judgment (Jeremiah 18:9-10).

The second truth is that God’s plan will prevail. Ultimately, every generation of God’s children has looked forward to a greater day to come. Some, like Abraham and Isaac, lived in wealth and comfort as they looked forward to a city “whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10) Others, like Jeremiah, lived in times of great suffering and sorrow, yet they still hoped in the coming kingdom of God (Jeremiah 31). There is great comfort in knowing that though times may be uncertain, even painful, ultimately God will put all things right.

These two truths are eternal and unchanging.  Through them we can gain insight and comfort. But we long to do something that can make things better in our world. Consider what God told the prophet Jeremiah.

“O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”  (Jer. 18:6-10)

Here we find the third truth is a call to action – specifically a call to submit to the authority of God and to obey His law. God’s blessing or judgment is not arbitrarily dispensed, but is a response to the choices we make. God has clearly revealed His moral law in the Bible. We need to read the Bible and accept its message as God’s message. What He calls sin, we must reject.  What He calls good, we must practice. Only through faith and obedience can we hope to receive God’s blessing in uncertain times.

Pastor Matthew Majewski
Center Baptist Church
Lansing