2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.”
“In these uncertain times…” How many times have we heard those words lately? Seems like every other commertial on T.V. or on the radio starts with that phrase. We can almost call it before the words come out. First we hear the solom music then here it comes. “in these uncertain times.” Why now? Aren’t we always in uncertain times? Is it just now because of this virus? These are just a few questions I have been wrestling with in my mind over the last couple months. We live in a fallen creation, we are always in uncertain times!
I completely understand the world being afraid. Lost people have no hope in God to protect them. There is no peace in a Godless life. Fear and anxiety thrive where there is no Jesus. But, what I don’t understand is the fear and anxiety in the church. Are we not supposed to be the example for the world? How are we the light to the lost when we are hiding in our safe place? God did not save us in order to remain the same. We are called to be in this world but not part of this world. That means having faith that God is bigger than anything we are facing in this life.
The Lord has been reminding me recently about the story of Jesus and Peter walking in water. (Matthew 14:22-33) There are three points to this story that I have been dealing with in my heart. (I know I reference this story a lot, but it’s one of my favorites)
1. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will be ok. Peter walked on the water just as Jesus did. When he took his eyes of Jesus, he sank. We have to remember who our strength comes from. We can never let fear over take our faith in Christ.
2. When we mess up, Jesus is still there to save us. When Peter began to sink, he just had to utter a few words and he was saved. “Lord, save me.” Although he temporarialy took his focus off Jesus, he still knew where his salvation was. Jesus was still there to save him.
3. Jesus sent his disciples out into the storm for is glory. When Jesus told his followers to get in the boat and to go before Him, he knew a storm was coming. He sent them any way. He allowed the storm to come. He could of just as easily called on the Father to stop the storm before it came. Instead, he allowed it to happen. Verses 32-33 tell us that when they got into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the people worshiped Him saying truly He is the Son Of God.
People often wrongly think that becoming a Christian will automatically take away all our problems. Nothing could be further from the truth. Like I said before, we live in a fallen creation. Bad things will happen. We will get sick , lose loved ones, suffer from illness. We will go through storms. What matters is how we act in the storm. Storms grow our failth and make us more reliant on God. Unsaved people will question us. Often ask, how do we still smile when life has been so hard? We are the example of how God and take our struggles and use them for His glory.
God knows everything that we are and will go through. Nothing is a surprise to Him. He also knows who will cross our paths and will be looking and watching how we handle the situation. I believe that is exactly why we cannot hide in a bunker everytime we face a problem. Why are Christians so afraid of the news on T.V. Has God not told us in His word not to fear the things that are going to happen? I am by no means trying to say we should be careless and not take precautions to stay safe. God does not call us to be wreckless. All I am trying to say, is to show the world that our faith and hope is in a living God. We have no need to fear!
ourfathersgrace.com 