Troublesome Times, Yet No Fear

Have you been watching the news? There is no doubt the times we live in are troublesome. It can be shocking what people will do to one another.

Then there are the natural disasters. One comes and, before the people can recover, another one strikes somewhere else.

It can all be overwhelming. However, God is not overwhelmed, nor is He surprised!

Luke 21:8-19 is a great reminder that God is all-knowing. Jesus prophesies as to what is to come. It is not all good news. It certainly was not what the disciples hoped to hear. However, it does end in a glorious promise in verses 18 and 19:

But not a hair of your head will perish! By standing firm, you will win your souls. (NLT)

How marvelous God is! Jesus not only warns us about what is to come, but He also shares the hope that through Him, we can overcome!

God has faithfully told us our options and their consequences from the beginning. In Genesis 2:16-17 He told Adam:

But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

God knew Adam would fail. He knows we will sometimes fail. However, we do not need to fear, because God always has a plan. Revelation 13:8 tells us Jesus was the plan from the beginning:

… the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.

God knew Jesus would need to come and die on a cross to make things right. We have no need to fear. God has a plan, He is for us, and He loves us.

First John 4:18 informs us about God’s love casting out fear.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

God’s love is perfect and no matter what we face, or how crazy this world gets, His love is always there for us, to rescue us. Romans 8:35-39 states it this way:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We, therefore, have hope and confidence in our God. Do not let the events around you, or even those in your life, cause you to fear. Trust in the Lord for He is good.

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.