Dear Family

There is just so much stuff going on all over at the moment that I feel desperately sorry for the person without God. We have a country and a world in crisis. From natural disasters to political turmoil to out of control violent crime to super bugs in hospitals to every nook and cranny of society in trauma, we are a world waiting for the next serving of bad news! And all of this is to be expected. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is none who does good.” Everything we see around us that’s going wrong is simply the outworking of this verse. A world filled with people who have rejected Almighty God, His order and His path, and chosen instead to follow after their own devices and their own very limited wisdom. No doubt, things will still get a lot worse in time to come because that’s just the nature of evil man without God, spurred on by satan and his minions.

Now, in the midst of all this stuff, God has His children who, although they find themselves in this world of trouble, can walk as though not of it. Jesus promised us peace because He overcame the world completely and finally. There is obviously onus upon God’s children to walk in His way in order to enjoy the fullness of His peace in the midst of chaos. We cannot apply worldly principles to deal with issues of the heart. Another bottle of whisky will not fix the brokenness of humanity. God commands us quite forcefully when He says in Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…” This is not optional, it’s a command. “Shut up” your fears and concerns. “Shut up” your anxieties and negativities. “Shut up and know that I am God”. These are moment by moment choices that we are able to make in the midst of whatever is going on around us. We place our trust and faith in Him and He empowers us with peace and certainty. The verse goes on to say, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Ha! Ha! We know the end result and it’s coming. Jesus said we must not panic when stuff goes on around us. He is coming back and He will keep us in complete peace in the interim.

“Do not be discouraged, do not be afraid” rings in my head whenever I feel weighed down by cares of the planet. Join me in deciding to be still and know that He is God.