In three weeks Americans will elect a new government. 33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats are up for election on November 5, 2024. We will choose our President and that person will shape the Executive branch of the United States around new policies. What a privilege we have to choose our government. I hope you are planning to vote and making time to educate yourself about the candidates.
Fear plays heavily in this election season with threats of catastrophic results if the “other” guy is elected. Both parties are stirring up fear because, in the short-term, it is a very effective motivator. Tragically, this fear distorts our ability to think clearly. Fear makes us reactionary rather than visionary! I am not naïve about the state of the world, nor have I hidden myself from the realities around me.
America is in a time of rapid social change,
filled with self-indulgence, and increasingly godless. The wars raging in Ukraine
and the Middle East are fires that could explode into world conflict. COVID,
just 4 years behind us, made the possiblities of pandemic real, no longer just
the subject of theorists. And yes, many are anxious over issues much
closer to home – marriage stress, children who struggle academically or socially,
health challenges.
Are you afraid yet?
There is a powerful antidote
to the poison of fear. It is NOT positivity, as desirable as that choice may
be. We are invited to FAITH, to entrust
ourselves, our kids, our nation, and the world to the loving, living God. Jesus
says, "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the
body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear:
Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.
Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not
one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke
12:4-7, NIV)
Our God holds eternity in His
hands. He has the power to destroy us but Jesus reassures us that He cares
about us, knowing our greatest needs intimately. Great faith grows in us when we serve the true
God of glory, not the small god of our imaginations. He does not want to occupy
a small part of our lives, acknowledged only on Sunday and in times of crisis.
He desires to be the center, with every decision we make shaped by our reverence
and devotion.
Real faith that meets the challenges of the real world cannot be
found in a lesser god. IF we tame God, diminishing
Him to fit within our understanding, the confidence we might know is lost. If we are willing to live with the mystery of
a majestic God, surrendering our self-will to His will, faith will become our
solid foundation. C. S. Lewis, the
English author, alludes to the power of Christ when he writes - "Who
said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King,
I tell you.”
An wwe of God is rooted in true praise and genuine worship. I am not just speaking of what we do together in a church building. Worship is an ongoing choice to live with an open heart and mind to God’s Presence every day. It is not superstition nor being gullible. It is seeing His majesty in the sweep of history, His love in ordinary circumstances, responding to the Spirit’s invitation right here, right now.
The wisdom of the Word teaches
us that the awe that comes from giving God His rightful place leads us into
wisdom and confidence. Take a look! "The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and
discipline." (Proverbs 1:7, NIV) "Trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge
him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV) When
the news of calamity and the theories of conspiracies of evil men swirl around
you, turn to the Lord in prayer. Don't just pray for relief or for a bubble of
safety. Pray instead that the fear of things to come will be replaced by an
awesome sense of His love and purposes. Serve Him with such intensity that you
have no need to worry.
As we approach this election, hearing the fear-mongering, watching the apocalyptic commercials, let’s take the revealed wisdom of the preacher Isaiah, who was inspired to give us the word from the Word for today. He was speaking during a dreadful time for Judah. The Assyrian empire on its borders was prepared to invade. Spiritual complacency gripped the people. Yet the Spirit spoke through him and told the faithful: "Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary." (Isaiah 8:12-13, NIV)
May you know true peace as you live with profound faith. Amen.
_________
(Video of this blog at this link)
In the darkness we were
waiting
Without hope without light
Till from Heaven You came running
There was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfil the law and prophets
To a virgin came the Word
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt
Praise the Father
Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit three in one
God of Glory – Majesty
Praise forever to the King of kings
To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation
You did not despise the cross
For even in Your suffering
You saw to the other side
Knowing this was our salvation
Jesus for our sake You died
And the morning that You rose
All of heaven held its breath
Till that stone was moved for good
For the Lamb had conquered death
And the dead rose from their tombs
And the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who'd come
To the Father are restored
And the Church of Christ was
born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this Gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel shall not faint
By His blood and in His Name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me
Brooke Ligertwood, Jason
Ingram, Scott Ligertwood
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia; Fellow Ships Music; So Essential
Tunes
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