Jesus Gives Us What We Need
Reading Time 3.5 Minutes
I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted. The odds against this being a good world anymore seem overwhelming. Our world seems to be getting worse and it also seems like we can do nothing about it. Just look at climate disasters and worldwide tensions.
Climate disasters: Over the past five years, the U.S. alone has experienced an average of $18B climate disasters per year including floods, winds, and fires. The number and cost of weather and climate disasters is rising due to a combination of population growth and development.
Last year, NOAA said: “By 2050, moderate flooding â — which is typically disruptive and damaging by today's standards â — is expected to occur more than 10 times as often as it does today.†When hurricane season starts this year, it’s forecasted the chances for a La Niña by summer are increasing, and that's an anxiety-inducing forecast for those still recovering from recent hurricanes. In the period from January to March 2024, we have seen wildfires devastate over 1.4 million acres of land, more than any same period in the last ten years.
Worldwide tensions: The world (and the US, in particular) seems like it has never been more divided. There are five wars going on today where over 10,00 people were killed last year (Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Hamas/Iran, Myanmar, Maghreb, and Sudan). There are another 10 where ONLY over 2,000 people were killed last year, but their total death counts are now over 500,000. These include civil wars, drug wars, terrorist insurgencies, ethnic violence, and political unrest.
The division in the US has reached the point where the percentage of us that would not want our son or daughter to marry someone that supports the other party is increasing. From 1958 to 2016, the numbers rose from 25-33% to 60-63%. Add to that the current resurgence and growth of inflation, the increasing influx of southern border immigrants, the battles over IVF and abortion, etc., etc. and our divisions have gotten wider, deeper, and more emotional.
And there seems like there is nothing that can be done, is being done, or anything I or we could do to make a positive difference. But we have God’s words to give us hope.
First, Jesus guaranteed we would face hard times. And Jesus said this when He knew his disciples were about to face the darkest, most troubling times of their lives: His persecution, suffering, and death. Troubles, yes, but He still overcomes the world. John 16:33 (NIV): “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.†Then, Psalm 46: 1 – 3 (NIV): “God is our refuge and strength, An ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth give way, And the mountains fall into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging.â€
He prefaces those specific troubles with “An ever-present helpâ€. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV): “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.â€
Fear can overtake us, but God is all-powerful and will offer us all the strength we need. Also, the words “Do not fear†appear 366 times in The Bible; One for each day of the Leap Year. Joshua 1:9(NIV): “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.â€
He understands we didn’t get it. Remember this was God speaking to Joshua who was charged with leading a recalcitrant group into the promised land. Three times in the first nine verses, God tells Joshua to “Be strong and courageous.†Maybe we need those same reminders, now and repeatedly.
Finally, my favorite: James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised.†Having withstood the natural disasters and the worldwide tensions, with the ever-present God with us, “…surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives.â€
©2024, Chip Graber
I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted. The odds against this being a good world anymore seem overwhelming. Our world seems to be getting worse and it also seems like we can do nothing about it. Just look at climate disasters and worldwide tensions.
Climate disasters: Over the past five years, the U.S. alone has experienced an average of $18B climate disasters per year including floods, winds, and fires. The number and cost of weather and climate disasters is rising due to a combination of population growth and development.
Last year, NOAA said: “By 2050, moderate flooding â — which is typically disruptive and damaging by today's standards â — is expected to occur more than 10 times as often as it does today.†When hurricane season starts this year, it’s forecasted the chances for a La Niña by summer are increasing, and that's an anxiety-inducing forecast for those still recovering from recent hurricanes. In the period from January to March 2024, we have seen wildfires devastate over 1.4 million acres of land, more than any same period in the last ten years.
Worldwide tensions: The world (and the US, in particular) seems like it has never been more divided. There are five wars going on today where over 10,00 people were killed last year (Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Hamas/Iran, Myanmar, Maghreb, and Sudan). There are another 10 where ONLY over 2,000 people were killed last year, but their total death counts are now over 500,000. These include civil wars, drug wars, terrorist insurgencies, ethnic violence, and political unrest.
The division in the US has reached the point where the percentage of us that would not want our son or daughter to marry someone that supports the other party is increasing. From 1958 to 2016, the numbers rose from 25-33% to 60-63%. Add to that the current resurgence and growth of inflation, the increasing influx of southern border immigrants, the battles over IVF and abortion, etc., etc. and our divisions have gotten wider, deeper, and more emotional.
And there seems like there is nothing that can be done, is being done, or anything I or we could do to make a positive difference. But we have God’s words to give us hope.
First, Jesus guaranteed we would face hard times. And Jesus said this when He knew his disciples were about to face the darkest, most troubling times of their lives: His persecution, suffering, and death. Troubles, yes, but He still overcomes the world. John 16:33 (NIV): “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.†Then, Psalm 46: 1 – 3 (NIV): “God is our refuge and strength, An ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth give way, And the mountains fall into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging.â€
He prefaces those specific troubles with “An ever-present helpâ€. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV): “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.â€
Fear can overtake us, but God is all-powerful and will offer us all the strength we need. Also, the words “Do not fear†appear 366 times in The Bible; One for each day of the Leap Year. Joshua 1:9(NIV): “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.â€
He understands we didn’t get it. Remember this was God speaking to Joshua who was charged with leading a recalcitrant group into the promised land. Three times in the first nine verses, God tells Joshua to “Be strong and courageous.†Maybe we need those same reminders, now and repeatedly.
Finally, my favorite: James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised.†Having withstood the natural disasters and the worldwide tensions, with the ever-present God with us, “…surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives.â€
©2024, Chip Graber
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