Editorial Winter 2007
I don't know who
took this photo, but it is adorable. It speaks of rest and watching at the same
time. It's also fun. Thousands of photos are passed along the internet each year
and we never know who took most of them. Too bad- they are absolutely
awesome. Editor
Lately, all of the major (and minor) prophetic voices in the Evangelical Christian world are sounding the alarm of disaster. Some say natural disaster, some say terrorist attacks, some both. It is very rare for all of the voices to be speaking virtually the same things...so we all need to have our "ears on" to watch and listen to see what God wants us to see. If we ignore or fluff off current events we are making a huge mistake. When you can see what is happening around you, preparation is easier. If you get blind-sighted, there is no preparation and you will flounder, Christian or not.
Jesus told the people to discern the the times and seasons around them just like sailors checked out the weather by the color of the sky. (You remember: red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky at morning, sailors take warning.) He did NOT tell us to be afraid, either. He told us the joy of the Lord is our strength. We watch, we pay attention, we pray, we have faith in the care of the Lord. We have authority over all power of the enemy, we do not have authority over the power of God. So we must be close enough to His heart to hear Him in all the things that are happening in the earth.
The first thing we need to do is rest in His promises. Psalm 23 will get you through anything you must face. We all have to traverse valleys, but what is coming may put us in the valley of the shadow of death. It is not a fun place, nor do we do it with great expertise. We'll blow it, fall, cry, act stupid...and in all of it we'll come back to trusting Jesus to help us. Because we simply cannot do it without Him. His grace is sufficient even if it looks like the end is near.
Secondly, we must stop back-biting, judging, ignoring, whining, and watching others without assisting. Let's use an example: The polar bear- the mighty, powerful, apex predator of the arctic, is verging on extinction. The polar ice cap is melting, Iceland is becoming green, glaciers are breaking apart, and bears are drowning. There are people who want to whine about who caused it. They expend many hours hating scientists, or environmentalists, or Christians, or whatever. Big mistake. Let's stop blaming and start moving toward healing... not only for the planet, but people as well.
We are living in a precarious time, and we must face that time without bitching (sorry it's the only word that fits) about whose fault everything is and do whatever we can to mitigate the damage. If you see a car accident in front of you and the people in the front seat are dying, ignoring it is not an option. Standing around the smoking car and complaining about their driving is going to guarantee their deaths. We need to act towards saving the people in the car, right?
Our way of life could come crashing down around us in an instant. Our electricity can stop working in a wind storm and be out for weeks. Our toilets may not flush unless we have lots of water drawn to flush them. We may have no extra food in our pantry to help our neighbors or ourselves. We may lose everything including our loved ones in the blink of an eye. Will you still serve Jesus if that happens? And will you do so without fear, keeping your joy, trusting that He has not let go of you? It really doesn't matter WHO did it when something happens, it matters WHO you have faith in.
There is only one God Who commanded the storm to be still. One God who stopped the rotation of the earth to fight a battle. One God who got an entire nation of people through a raging sea. There is only one heaven, the one with a Great White Throne and a throng of worshiping angels. You can trust Him in what is coming. Be like that beautiful polar bear in the photo above- rest, watch, and listen. And have joy doing it.