'…This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy…….'
Isaiah 37:3
In the halycon days of the bull, where almost everyone is an eternal optimist, to be a realists grounded on contentment and stewardship strikes no chord with the thundering herds who have grown dizzy with greed filled lusts, where fear takes the form of missing out on making more, rather than the possibiity of being woefully wrong.
With present difficult conditions, the letter 'o' is increasingly at risk of being usurped by the letter 'p" for pessimism, and where many have slowly come to realize that gravity does pull them back to the ground, and hope will transform to hapless and where prudence, contentment and stewardship do have its days.
What brought about the sea change in conditions and its concomitant attitude??
'…..Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the land of the king of Assyria?'
Isaiah 36:18
Many are literally out at sea now. Struggling not just with painful losses in the financial markets, but risk of job losses and increased costs of living. Seems like the proverbial 3-headed monster of Greek mythology has surfaced and is literally haunting all of us. Even Iceland is melting down, and this is not just due to global warming, but rather past financial excesses of this frigid cold country during the good times.
Financial markets and its fellow bedfellow;, economic conditions, rarely come to a screeching halt. It is more likely to take the form of a yo-yo that loses its rate of upward momentum at every bounce and overtime fades into oblivion, or at least it will seem for the ex thundering herd of bulls.
In between the hopeful recoveries, will be many who begin to question the efficacy of the 'gods' that they pay great obeisance to during those happy and enriching times. But like the man without vision, they will move from one pothole to the next, seeking the next 'god or gods' who will restore their fortunes, for who can willingly walk away from a dalliance with greed, fear and pride?
Only God can bring us out of the darkness.
'Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me, thou salt stretch forth Thane hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me.'
Psalms 138:7
Trouble does not go away just because one is a believer. In fact, trouble seems to follow me that little bit more, even as I seek to be a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not exactly a very desirable proposition if one is looking for man's ideal of what makes life great i.e. a materially comfortable, emotionally happy life and a well regarded status in society or at least in one's circle of friends.
'The Lord will perfect that which concert me…………..'
Psalms 138:8
The Apostle Paul, a man who is anointed by God and was used powerfully by Him in this sinful world, had more than his fair share of woes. But he has learn that such 'thorns in his flesh' are what keeps him from relying on his own strength but on the Lord our God. For in our weakness, we will see the grace of God.
'O Lord, thou hast search me and know me…….'
Psalms 139:1
This is the year of revival. Many will come to the faith. But renewal has to start with us, the blessed who have had the veil in our hearts lifted that bit earlier by the grace of God.
How can we partake in the great harvest of souls who are now increasingly being made ready ( even as the world shakes both literally and metamorphorically for them) to want to seek the Lord our God?
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease'
Genesis 8:22
How can you be a fellow journeyman if you have never gone through that journey of faith, where we ourselves have experienced our own imperfections, yet are blessed to know the perfect God.
'And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord'
Amos 3:15
Even as trouble renewed its acquaintance with me just yesterday, even as I continue to labor under this burden on my right shoulder ( a real ailment but symbolically of the load on our lives), I am reminded by the Lord our God that there are times we cannot shy away from challenges in our lives, for the world is sinful. I am also reminded that refinements through the crucibles of life's fire is God's way of purifying us. It brings forth that clearer vision of His grace, as the clutters and distractions of life loses its significance in the midst of troubles. And troubles gives us that authority of experience that will allow us to be used well by the Lord our God, as He places people in our lives, for sympathy is from the outside, empathy is from our own innate experience.
'Through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father'
Ephesians 2:8
I was reminded by a couple of friends that my countenance is generally cheerful. Something to be thankful for as I am not without troubles
For many who do not know the Lord our God, it seems fine when you have the riches and adulation of the world. Even then, that is always a temporal satisfaction, no real permanent joy and there is a need to keep moving up the curve to achieve the same level of lusts.. And when something becomes nothing, when the shades of delusion covering the vacuum in their hearts are removed, the black hole of misery and despair can be overwhelming.
'….O Lord,….in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy'
Habakkuk 3:2
As a believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, something will come out of nothing, for stripped of our own understanding and strength, we will seek the Lord our God. With a humble and contrite heart, we will be more prepared to truly draw near to Him, and in drawing near to Him, He will draw near to us.
'What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visits him?'
Psalm 8:4
The world we are living in is indeed going through great changes, unfortunately for the worse. Al Gore, in not winning the Presidency, has had the chance to document the perils that Mother Earth faces as a result of man's damaging lifestyle. Bush, at least in the eyes of his critics, on the other hand was too busy adding on to the damage
Looking ahead, the picture does not look too pretty. With the Arctic defrosting, the world will soon have even more resources to damage the environment. And there is one more reason for a global war as nations compete in the last frontiers for resources. With high costs of fossil fuel being a staple of our life, clearly, nuclear power will be the option of choice for many and indeed the stage looks like being set for the fulfilling of the prophetic return of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the world will be destroyed by fire.
'And thou salt love the Lord thy God with all thane heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might'
Deuteronomy 6:5
Fertile imagination I probably have. But it is not about predictions. But rather, about ourselves. Are we willing to be transformed by the Lord our God. Will we do it now or do we wait for more troubles to pop up in our lives? Storms in our lives are part of the process that our God allows to bring us forth to His likeness. Life is not about avoiding storms, but rather, about anchoring ourselves in the Lord our God. The rock of our lives. And indeed God is good. The little booklet : "how to anchor your life in the storm" landed in my mailbox last nite, just as trouble came knocking at my blessed door. The devil might think that he is in charge of the world, but truly God is Sovereign.
'But verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer nor His mercy from me'
Psalms 66:19-20
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