"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me." John 14:1 (NLT)
Turn on the news. Read a newspaper. What do you see? Heartwarming stories on the front page? Acts of kindness and goodwill? Article after article that encourage hope? No. Far from it. We read about shootings, robberies and murders. We get information on new taxations, inflation and the power grab of the government. We are left with doubts about our safety and our future.
Can you relate? The last two years especially have been filled with one crisis after another. Anxiety grows as we attempt to cope with the issues in our own personal lives coupled with the ever-changing world around us. We stress over our children's education and whether we can trust what they are being taught. We worry over decreasing paychecks and increasing bills. In addition, we have health problems, relationship difficulties, depression and questions about the direction this world is headed and what our offspring will have to confront as they grow older.
I joke about asking Santa Claus for a magic wand for Christmas. Unfortunately there isn't any such thing but I wish there was sometimes. Just think how handy it would be to wave that wand and make problems dissolve. Snobbish co-worker? Easy fix. Just wave the wand and that person will be the nicest one on earth. I wonder if any of us could be trusted with such power. Probably not.
Thankfully, we do not need magic wands and we do not have to rely on ourselves in times of struggle or woe. We serve Almighty God who sits on His throne and oversees all that happens on this orb in space. He created the world and He created each of us. There is never a time when He is unaware of what is occurring in any of our lives. He sees the big and the small and cares about each and every moment. No matter what we encounter, He is there with us to direct our paths, to have His hand on our shoulder to reassure us that we are not alone.
There are days when we wonder why we should continue in this life. We see fruitlessness, despair, and hardship. It seems that there is no turning around for this world as we watch deceit in our leadership and the downfall of moral character.
So where is our hope? Right where it has always been. Jesus came that we can have life and have it more abundantly. He tells us in John 16:33, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
Beloved, this world was not created to be eternal, but we were. We know through Scripture that one day this planet will be destroyed but, if we have placed our faith and trust in the Lord, then we will be with Him forever. There is our hope. We may not be able to see it with our eyes, or hear it with our ears, but we can rest in the Truth and He will enable us to calm our anxious hearts
My prayers are with each of you as you navigate your way through what each day presents. I urge you to fix your eyes upon Jesus, spend time with Him in reading your Bible and in prayer and allow Him to encourage you when you begin to worry about the future. He is in control and the battle has already been won. God bless.
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