This world always has been and always will be bleak. No matter what era, no matter who is in office, and no matter how good we try to be to it, this world is bleak, cut-and-dry. And sometimes, that can twist our nerves into knots, keep us up at night, or simply just break our hearts. It’s all like a whirlwind where there’s so much movement, so much change and tragedy, that we, in the center, can’t seem to move at all. There are no words that can really encapsulate how that makes us feel, but there is a Word that stands true despite how we feel. And on that note, we’ve got a few things to remember. I do also want to add a disclaimer that this isn’t all we’ve got to remember, because there is a lot that God can show us through the state of the world. This is just some of what He has shown me.
Today, let’s look at 1 John, John, Isaiah, Hebrews and Revelation (five books!).
For starters, from the get go, we know that the world is evil. 1 John 5:19 (NIV) says that “we know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” So, we shouldn’t be surprised when the world is evil. This is laid out in terms that we can’t misinterpret, from Genesis to Revelation.
Also, this world isn’t our home. In John 17:16 (NIV), when Jesus is praying for His disciples, He says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” In other words, we’re not meant to stay here forever. I like to think of our time on earth as our really long, collective hotel reservation where we’re trying to show others the way home. Naturally, we feel misplaced when we see what’s going on around us, because we are not home.
For now, though, we’re here. We see the state of the world and wonder how bad it’s going to get, and then how we can get through it. But we have to be still and remember that we’ve got God on our side, and that He doesn’t leave us. In Isaiah 43:2 (NIV), God says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” No matter what happens while we’re here, we’re His, and there is ultimate comfort in that. We can wrestle with the throes of whatever this world has in store, and we can feel broken, beat down, and hopeless, but rest assured, God will be with us while we do, and He is the ultimate relief for all of those emotions.
God always being with us is a small part of this aspect of His character: He doesn’t change. In Hebrews 13:8, the Bible flat-out tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” So, in an ever-changing world, we have a never-changing God who is our rock, our fortress, and our protector. Nothing can move Him, and He can move everything. Isn’t that wonderful? We can rely on God because He is the only one we can truly and fully rely on in this world. His love doesn’t change, His mind doesn’t change, and His strength doesn’t change. Everything else, inevitably, will change.
The good thing is, though, that those changes are under His control. Or, as I like to paraphrase it, the buck stops with Him. Revelation 1:8 says ‘“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.'” There is nothing that is not under His control. These headlines that steal our joy? These rumors that break our hearts? This anxiety over it all that debilitates us? It’s all dust at His feet. When it all seems so big, there’s peace in knowing that God is bigger, and there’s joy in spreading that message. This world being so dark underscores the importance of our mission while we’re here, and that is to share the light of the Gospel. God has given us everything we need for us to do that, including comfort and courage. He’s got us while we do it, and that won’t change. And in the end, we all bow to Him. In the meantime, though, we can share the joy, the love and the light that we find in the Lord, and watch him take this big, terrifying situation and turn it into salvation for who knows how many people. How exciting!
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Katie Pennington is a writer and editor who is originally from Hazard, Kentucky, but currently resides with her family in central Tennessee (though she frequently visits her Appalachian roots). Her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 42:5, which reminds her that in despair, there’s hope in God, and there’s healing in praising Him.