Take Heart!
"You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed." Matthew 24:6a
It seems that the world has been stirred up in new and unsettling ways. I recently saw a category on the ABC News website I never noticed before: "Unrest, conflict and war". A level 5 cyclone, Trump, Israel, Ukraine, Elections, Bushfires, Floods, Musk, Russia, Gaza, Cost of living crisis, and that is just the topics from the last couple of weeks. We live in times that Jesus told us about when nation will rise against nation and famines and earthquakes will happen.
The things happening in the news these days could keep you awake at night. The decisions made by Governments and armies across the world, both predictable and unpredictable, have the power to ricochet in our hearts. Today's headlines become tonight's restless sleep, but here's a news flash! It takes no faith to be afraid.
As Jesus and the disciples sailed at night, a storm developed and the wild waves crashed over their boat. Jesus was fast asleep on a comfy cushion until a group of very scared disciples woke him up. "Teacher, Don't you care if we drown?" Now awake, Jesus stood up and told the wind and the waves to be still. The disciples were afraid until they realised that even the wind and the waves obeyed the Lord's command. (Mark 4:35-41)
Who else can speak to the storm? It took a horrifying and tumultuous storm for the Disciples to see and understand that they were in the presence of the Living God. They saw and heard that his words were powerful. Who is this? They wondered, and yet they knew exactly, whose presence they were in. Jesus was the reason why they had already left everything to follow Him.
We have the same opportunity to be in a relationship with the Living God. We share our prayers with Him, and He shares His powerful word with us. Through His word we learn who God is and by hearing our faith grows. With faith in our heart, we can be of good courage. We can hear about wars and rumours of wars without being alarmed. We can prepare our home for a cyclone on the radar without fear, because we walk with the Living God, the one who calms the storm.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Vintage Magazine Cover Modern Mechanix and Inventions, January 1934
This was the final devotional article wrote for the Blog, Dancing on Water. It was started by Pastor Bill Joukhadar and ran for five years, featuring mostly Bill’s writing but also included the work of other Christian writers along the way. The site is no longer online. :-(
