Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. (Proverbs 12:25, ESV)
This might be a joint bible study/prep talk for you as you go into a weekend with a panicking world. As we have been looking at who God is as Creator, who Christ is as sustainer; we now have the ability to practice what we are learning. To not fall into the same folly of always learning but never arriving at truth, but to cling to the truth in order to save others who are floundering around us.
We have an opportunity to closely examine what we hold dear at this impasse of our history. We were born purposely right in this season. We had no control over what generation we were placed in; so you and I were meant to live through this now global pandemic. Our days were numbered before we were born Psalm 139:16. As things, sports, events are cancelled, I ask myself, and now as you- are they of eternal value anyways? Are the hours that we invest into sports, hobbies, leisure, etc that can just like that be gone; worth the time and energy that we pour into them? Do we spend our days on things that are here one moment and gone the next, or have we set our eyes on things that are above? Have we and do we invest in our eternal state and the eternal state of our friends, family and neighbors the same way we have been running after these fleeting things? Now is a great time to pause and see what we have been chasing. It is not that these things are necessarily bad; but if you are in despair because they are gone for a time; we might be holding them too tightly.
We have been talking with our kids a lot about the opportunity solitude can bring us. We can be undistracted before the Savior to pray and read and abide in Him. We can spend vested hours praying over our neighbors, pray for doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks and cleaning persons who will receive a brunt of what we can close our doors too. Pray for opportunities to share and love on these persons. Check on elderly neighbors or family members- call people! Have a good hearty conversation with people that we are normally to busy to chat with. Pray for the unreached and unsaved, those in countries like China and Iran who maybe have yet to hear the Gospel. Pray for the missionaries and pastors there; where false religion or no religion abounds- that a glorious revival can come about, where believers can have the confidence to share why they are not panicking; because our hope is in the Lord.
But we can only share our hope is in the Lord...if our hope is in the Lord. The Gospel Coalition put out an excellent article yesterday highlighting Martin Luther's response to the bubonic plague. He exercises both biblical and practical wisdom. There is a lot of false doctrine being promoted right now by terrible teachers. Running a muck, offering false healing and binding whos-its and whats-its galore. This is not a biblical response. Don't offer false hope; don't bind the devil where he may not be... offer Christ. Our sure Salvation. Offer Christ who takes away the sins of the world. Offer Christ who is the way the truth and the life. Offer Christ, who came to die that we might be redeemed. Offer Christ who is the bread of life and living water. Offer Christ because He is Hope. He is Peace, and He is Love. Perfect love casts out all fear. Do you love Christ in such a way, do you know him such a way that He is able to cast out fear in your own heart; that you might then share this peace with others?
One thing I have learned is do not waste suffering and adversity. I have. There are seriously hard tribulations I wish I could go back and live through with better faith and more courageous hope. Because I saw how sovereign God was on the other side. Hope now is the byproduct of my genuine love, trust and servitude to our Savior.
Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Don't waste this time. Use it to His glory. Pray, intercede, love...don't touch your face or lick door nobs. What will be your testimony of God's glory when all of this is over?!
Worship for the weary:
Come behold the wonderous mystery
abide with me- this history of this song---- very worth the read. Read it here prior to listening.
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