August 14, 2024

When you are in the storm, it is easy to forget what calm is like. When you are freezing in the winter, it is easy to forget what it’s like to be uncomfortably hot. When you are in a war, it is easy to forget what peace is like. But storms do not last. Winters and wars do not go on forever either.

Many of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Russia are consumed by a war that threatens to overwhelm them. It feels like it there is no end and life will never be safe again. Closer to home, we feel threatened to be overtaken by the deafening volume of multiple voices who speak as if political issues are the ultimate reality. The tension of elections, debates, arguments, accusations put so many on edge. Will people ever be civil to one another again? On a personal level, the death of a family member, a threatening diagnosis, a dispute amongst friends, a poor decision by a child can make it feel as if a dark cloud has descended on your world and you cannot see the road ahead.

Beloved, do not forget that wars, elections, disease and difficulties do not hold final power nor determine final outcomes. Those are in the hands of our Sovereign God who is the keeper of all the keys. When you are tempted to feel anxious and in some cases are grieving loss and hurt, it is good to ask yourself what the Psalmist did several times. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5) Why? It may take you a while to figure out what the answer is.

But we need to explore the reason for our angst. At the same time, do not stay there. Just as the Psalmist asked that question 3 times, the Psalmist answered himself 3 times as well. He knew that the storms, winters, wars and trials would not last forever. That is why he answered his own questions with the charge to “hope in God” because God outlasts it all. That is why we are able to say that our hope in God ensures the fact that there will come a day when “I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Grace and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s Text: Luke 8:16-18