Surviving life in a broken world can be all-consuming. It seems to me that we used to have to deal with political and economic chaos in larger, more pronounced clumps. Governments would change, and recessions would come and go over extended periods. There was always a ramp-up to change. The world has changed.
1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Now it seems as though things change almost at a moment’s notice. Along with managing our emotional baggage, we must cope with the ever-changing landscape of world change. What used to take months or years to adjust now takes weeks or days. Planning for our future has become a game of whack-a-mole. We now deal not only with all the dystopias created by navigating our personal lives, but we are also bombarded with constant world change.
“Sometimes God lets you be in a situation that only He can fix so that you can see that He is the One who fixes it. Rest. He’s got it.” – Tony Evans, Facebook, June 7, 2012
Understanding God’s View
Most of us struggle to understand God’s view of our life without also trying to integrate God’s worldview. I know I do. It has become so ever-present that I have accepted I may never know the “why,” but I can at least discover the “what’s next.” God never told Job why, so I guess He won’t tell me either. But He will guide me in the direction of what to do because of it.
Romans 13:1, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. God has established the authorities that exist.”
I now sometimes find myself overwhelmed with the dysfunctionality of world events. I layer those events on top of my life events, and it seems everything is out of control. And, by the way, it is outside of my control. God is executing His plan for His kingdom. God looks at people, not governments or country boundaries. Most of us view the world in terms of people groups, where some will win and some will lose. God looks at us as individuals, each with the ability to win through acceptance of Him as King.
God’s Control
I know that I often look at current events and project their occurrence onto the people making the decisions, but that is a false narrative. God is in control. He put all of this in motion before the foundation of the universe.
John 17:5, “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
None of this is a surprise to God. All of it is part of His plan for humanity. We can step back from the chaos and gain a unique perspective on eternity that allows us to suspend judgment until we see God’s plan. The world may be out of our control, but it is never outside of God’s control. This has always been true of our personal lives. What has happened to us or is still happening has intent. That intent is to expand God’s Kingdom. Our reaction should not be asking why the past was the past, but what do you want me to do about the future?
Revelation 22:13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
We should take the same perspective on world events. What do You want me to do? I’m not going to pretend that there will be no adverse impact on Christianity, but that impact is likely to be temporary. We ultimately know the end, it is outlined in Revelations. The question is how and when we get there.
Surviving
First, as best you can, let go of the contemporary hype surrounding everything that’s happening in the world. God is doing great things that are outside of our understanding. Pray that God’s will will be done. Pray for protection for you and those God has put in front of you. Continue to follow your faith, not as it pertains to current events, but as it pertains to God’s Kingdom.
Remember, in the end, He wins.
Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
