By WAYNE STEWART
There is a lot going on in the world these days, everything from natural disasters to man-made crises.
In these days of instant access to news and information it’s easy to keep abreast with what’s happening out there. It’s also fun to read the comments people have concerning current events.
What is amazing is the utter lack of faith in God being displayed, even among those who call on the name of Jesus Christ. In a recent news story concerning the state of the economy on a Christian news site a woman proclaims reliance on the people of the TEA Party as the country’s only hope.
Really? The sad part is there are many professing Christians who feel the same way, not just about the TEA Party, but about any particular political party or people in it. The sad part is, they must not believe there is room for God in any of this. The times, they never change.
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Thus you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come out for your assistance is going to return to its own land of Egypt. The Chaldeans will also return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,” for they will not go. For even if you had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.’” — Jeremiah 37: 6-10
The Chaldeans, or Babylonians if you prefer, were tired of Jerusalem and were intent upon destroying God’s city. For decades God had told the people of Judah, through his appointed prophets, this judgment was coming. Even with the warning it came as a surprise to the king and the people.
As we read Scripture we will glibly say, “Why didn’t they just repent and turn back to God instead of asking for help from the Egyptians?”
Why indeed.
Let’s ask that question of ourselves, “Why do we insistently rely on men to solve our problems rather than taking our burdens and laying them at the foot of the cross?”
Hmmm! Now the question seems to get harder doesn’t it?
Now we may begin to understand why in Luke 18:8, Jesus asks, “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
There will be plenty who say they are saved by faith, but how many are there willing to throw caution to the wind and say, “Here I am Lord, do with me what you will?”
It’s hard to shed this veil of conceit that surrounds us. We believe we have the answers. We believe we can solve the problems of the world. We believe that if given enough time we can make everything, as it should be.
Folks, we’ve been going at it for thousands of years and we’ve yet to get it right — how are we going to suddenly start now? It is when we come to realize we can’t do it that things can start to get done through the strength of Jesus Christ.
“True faith requires that we believe everything God has said about Himself, but also that we believe everything he has said about us,” wrote A.W. Tozer. “Until we believe that we are really as bad as God says we are, we can never believe that He will do for us what He says He will do. Right here is where popular religion breaks down.”
When dealing with this world our first supposition must be that sin has corrupted everything around us. The only solution to that corruption is a divine solution. Man broke it, but there is not enough super glue and duct tape in the world to fix it — God had to come down and not just glue everything back together — he took our very essence, our souls, and started over creating in us a new life.
We must realize God does not create the calamity the world sees. It is purely a product of our sinful nature, yet we will ascribe a hurricane to God as part of his judgment on an unbelieving world, but we don’t think he can solve a financial crisis if we repent and call on his name.
Sounds like our thinking is a little messed up, but we must believe and act in faith that God has it under control. Our job on earth is to be a witness for Jesus Christ — everything else should be secondary.
When we get to that point where nothing else matters but our walk with God, then we can proclaim like Job, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh will I see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes — I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” — Job 19-25
Does your heart yearn to be with God? I hope so, but if not you must take a deep breath and ask, why. Ask God and He will give you the answer and the solution — faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
wstewart@texasfarmandhome.com
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