Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer reflects exactly what Jesus told us to expect and how He told us to respond. He said to see that no one deceives you, that wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places must happen, but not to be alarmed, for these are only the beginning of birth pains. And He linked enduring to the end with the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to all nations.
Thank you for anchoring your prayer in Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth is shaken and though the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea. That promise is personal. The Lord of hosts is with us, and the God of Jacob is our refuge. That second name brings it down to our level, for Jacob was not a perfect man, yet God was his refuge, and He is ours. Even if everything around us were leveled, only this body would be left in the rubble. We ourselves, hidden with Christ in God, would be safe with Him. A thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, but it shall not come near the one who has made God his dwelling.
Scripture gives a beautiful picture of this in the cities of refuge. At every crossroad there was a sign pointing with the word refuge, so that anyone in danger could find the way. Those cities were not for the guilty who acted with premeditation and malice, but for those who fled there for protection and a fair hearing. In the same way we have fled for refuge to Jesus Christ. He is holy, He is at the very heart of everything, and we are safe as long as we remain in Him. To abide in Him is our security.
That is why remembering the Lord is the cure for fear. David said though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me. Fear comes when we forget the Lord, when we lose the sense of His presence. Faith and fear cannot rule the heart at the same time. Where fear is allowed to take over, faith departs, and where there is strong confidence in God, fear must leave. The consciousness that God is with you dispels fear. He has said again and again, fear not for I am with you.
The enemy often tries to use fear to push us into a wrong reaction. Fear can motivate wrong movement. We saw this when an attempt was made to make Nehemiah hide in the temple out of fear. He refused to be driven by fear. If God wanted to protect him, God could protect him out on the wall. We also are to do what is wise and prudent to prepare and to help others, like providing food and water and caring for the vulnerable, and like giving attention to the Word and to prayer, but not from fear of the enemy. We act from faith and obedience.
There is another fear that we do need, the reverent fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. It is to hate evil and to depart from it, and it tends to life. The one who has it shall abide satisfied and shall not be visited with evil. When we walk in that holy reverence, we do not need to be afraid of sudden fear nor of the desolation that comes upon the wicked when judgment falls, for the Lord will be our confidence and will keep our foot from being taken. The arm of flesh and the help of man is never sufficient refuge.
So your desire to be prepared is right. To hear the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and to put them into practice is to build on the rock. When the rain and torrents come and the winds blow, the house does not fall because it has a proper foundation. We do not judge by present hard circumstances alone, for we cannot yet see the end result of what God is working out. We prepare hearts, we redeem the time, we grow closer to Jesus, we pray for all people, we preach the good news, we pray for healing and mercy and comfort, and we trust God to raise up laborers and to provide what is needed. He can prepare hearts beforehand and change our plans when needed, and we can be sensitive to His leading.
May the Lord keep you abiding in Christ your refuge, with a heart that reverences Him and therefore does not fear what is coming on the world. May He embolden you to pray, to speak His Word, and to love those around you who need His salvation, and may His peace which passes all understanding guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
Thank you for anchoring your prayer in Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth is shaken and though the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea. That promise is personal. The Lord of hosts is with us, and the God of Jacob is our refuge. That second name brings it down to our level, for Jacob was not a perfect man, yet God was his refuge, and He is ours. Even if everything around us were leveled, only this body would be left in the rubble. We ourselves, hidden with Christ in God, would be safe with Him. A thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, but it shall not come near the one who has made God his dwelling.
Scripture gives a beautiful picture of this in the cities of refuge. At every crossroad there was a sign pointing with the word refuge, so that anyone in danger could find the way. Those cities were not for the guilty who acted with premeditation and malice, but for those who fled there for protection and a fair hearing. In the same way we have fled for refuge to Jesus Christ. He is holy, He is at the very heart of everything, and we are safe as long as we remain in Him. To abide in Him is our security.
That is why remembering the Lord is the cure for fear. David said though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me. Fear comes when we forget the Lord, when we lose the sense of His presence. Faith and fear cannot rule the heart at the same time. Where fear is allowed to take over, faith departs, and where there is strong confidence in God, fear must leave. The consciousness that God is with you dispels fear. He has said again and again, fear not for I am with you.
The enemy often tries to use fear to push us into a wrong reaction. Fear can motivate wrong movement. We saw this when an attempt was made to make Nehemiah hide in the temple out of fear. He refused to be driven by fear. If God wanted to protect him, God could protect him out on the wall. We also are to do what is wise and prudent to prepare and to help others, like providing food and water and caring for the vulnerable, and like giving attention to the Word and to prayer, but not from fear of the enemy. We act from faith and obedience.
There is another fear that we do need, the reverent fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. It is to hate evil and to depart from it, and it tends to life. The one who has it shall abide satisfied and shall not be visited with evil. When we walk in that holy reverence, we do not need to be afraid of sudden fear nor of the desolation that comes upon the wicked when judgment falls, for the Lord will be our confidence and will keep our foot from being taken. The arm of flesh and the help of man is never sufficient refuge.
So your desire to be prepared is right. To hear the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and to put them into practice is to build on the rock. When the rain and torrents come and the winds blow, the house does not fall because it has a proper foundation. We do not judge by present hard circumstances alone, for we cannot yet see the end result of what God is working out. We prepare hearts, we redeem the time, we grow closer to Jesus, we pray for all people, we preach the good news, we pray for healing and mercy and comfort, and we trust God to raise up laborers and to provide what is needed. He can prepare hearts beforehand and change our plans when needed, and we can be sensitive to His leading.
May the Lord keep you abiding in Christ your refuge, with a heart that reverences Him and therefore does not fear what is coming on the world. May He embolden you to pray, to speak His Word, and to love those around you who need His salvation, and may His peace which passes all understanding guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
