We live in dark times where evil’s erosion is ramping up at a terrifying pace. This, from Paul’s second letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, written circa AD 67: ‘ . . . in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5, TPT) As we are now a global village and painfully aware of the near-unspeakable horrors happening to so many desiring-only-to-live-and-love-in-peace peoples, we would have a hard time not picturing our breaking news headlines. And a recent Christian publication, I guess in an attempt to brighten our day(?), has these alluring (a smidge sarcastic?) article titles on the cover: Our Pursuit of Unhappiness, The Church Had Better Tremble, The Devil’s Gospel of Self, Self-Pity and the Death of Music. Seriously, where is hope, and shouldn’t we be those from whom it is proclaimed?
The Old Testament Prophet, Isaiah, declared approx. 2 700 years ago: ‘The nations are roaring like the roar of a massive waterfall, but when God rebukes them, they disperse like chaff on the mountains, like a tumbleweed whirling in the wind . . . Such is the fate of those who plunder and try to rob us.’ Isa. 17:13,14, TPT. I just love Isaiah’s perspective! The ear-splitting torrent is, in reality, merely a soundless swoosh passing by. What taming power! What heart-calming assurance!
In Isaiah 18:4, (TPT): ‘Here is what the Lord Yahweh said to me: “I will rest calm and confident as I look from my dwelling place, serene as on a pleasant summer day or a cool, pleasant cloud in the heat of harvest.” Folks, that’s His Shalom, right there! I hear God saying, ‘I’ve got this!’ Jesus lived out that Shalom, that unshakable confidence, throughout his brief ministry. He never freaked out, never lost control, never shouted down the religious rulers out of fear, never called down fire from heaven on the heads of the Romans, He, like his Father, stayed as cool as a cucumber while evil’s ‘noose’ tightened. And he invites us to do likewise, to be in this world (with all its woes) but not of it (as citizens, now, of the Kingdom of God).
Biblical perspective: It’s a slow kingdom coming, but it’s coming! We live with the living hope of an ever-approaching dawn! And, friends, is it good that we remind ourselves of this? IT IS!! PD
Don graduated from Regent University in 1988 and moved to France for seven years, coming back to the US briefly to marry Sue in 1990. The work in France included working in a Christian School and helping plant a church before returning in 1995. He’s been pastor of Peninsula Vineyard since 1999. He enjoys counseling, especially married couples, traveling back to France (with Sue), reading, doing Sudoku puzzles and sleuthing out good, dark chocolate. Don serves as the senior pastor of the Vineyard Church Peninsula, in Newport News, Virginia.