I wrote a Facebook post the other day that got lots of positive feedback from folks because I voiced things that many are thinking but feel like maybe they are one of the few people that think that way. It talks about things that are not necessarily welcomed in today’s social environments. I wanted to follow up on that post and put it in a more widely available format than Facebook. I had many friends say they were sharing it with people that weren’t on Facebook or that have left Facebook for various reasons. I will try to use this format along with Facebook in the future so that the encouragement that God gives me can be spread far and wide without having to have a Facebook account. Thank you for reading these words and providing confirmation that God is using me to encourage others!
Our world is upside down. Socializing anywhere but online is now frowned upon and in several places around the world, it is against local “laws” (I use the term loosely, as these are better described as dictates by local government officials) due to the Coronavirus. We are fast closing in on the first year of “two weeks to slow the spread”. These mandates have radically changed our lives. We can have an offline discussion about whether or not the mandates are effective – I’m not going to try to make that case here, I have more important items to cover.
During the current pandemic and all of the local mandates and guidelines of staying home, social distancing, or wearing a mask – we had an election that included on the ballot the race for President of the United States. You may feel that the race was run fairly, or you may feel that the race was wrought with fraud. I will say that the standards we use to determine fraud in foreign elections were widely seen in the American election and include:
- High volume of mail-in ballots (widely regarded as the least secure and exploited form of voting fraud)
- Vote counting integrity where multiple people from various sides are allowed to watch the counting
- Stopping of vote counts to be resumed later
- Large batches of unexplained votes for a single candidate
- Votes don’t follow historical markers such as belwether regions
Large portions of the public witnessed at least one of the above during the election, but were repeatedly told that they didn’t see what they thought they saw. This led to a massive rally at the Nation’s capital on January 6th and the result that the crowd was hoping for was not delivered.
The crowd that was in attendance, and millions of people around the country that were supportive but couldn’t travel to the rally had been “strung along” for 2 months with promises of evidence and actions that would prove that the election was actually called for the wrong candidate, only to be let down in the dead of night on January 6/7 and have the election certified for the candidate that they had been promised “stole” the election.
Something similar had been perpetrated on the other side of the political aisle for the entire previous 4 years. They thought their candidate couldn’t be beat 4 years ago only to be defeated at the ballot box and electoral college. They have been through 4 years of promises that the candidate that won and that they hated with the fire of hell would be removed for something he did or said, only to be disappointed over and over and over again.
There are two things that keep us going as humans – Love and Hope. You can live without one or the other for a short time, but if you don’t have one or the other for an extended period, you can fall into depression which leads to all kinds of bad places.
Everyone has been a victim of false hope over the past few decades. The two scenarios I listed above describe how both sides of the political aisle have been led on by hope based on false promises and “just a little longer” pleas from the people who are benefiting from the current hopeless situation. The Coronavirus has brought in a whole new level of despair for many people who have lost jobs or businesses due to the onerous lockdown mandates that have rained down curiously from mainly a single political party, but I digress.
There are people in the government that know that a hopeless citizenry is a really bad thing. Hopelessness leads to despair and desperate people will do some really crazy things. They don’t want us to get desperate, so they provide “hope”. They may never intend to deliver on those promises, but it’s the “hope” that people need, and they can deliver that in spades.
Eventually it leads to an event like we saw on January 6, 2021. They show you that your hope was based on something that wasn’t real and then they give you something else to hope in. Wash, rinse, repeat. Keep them from revolting. That’s the plan.
So, what can we possibly hope in then, now that I’ve completely disillusioned you?
The Blessed Hope. The promised return of Jesus Christ. The promise that all the wrongs in the world will be set right and that we will live on a renewed earth free from sin under the rule of a righteous Lord that loves us all completely.
Wait a minute. Isn’t that the same thing, you ask? Isn’t that just a promise that we are told that at the end is just another empty promise? People have been saying that for centuries, yet he still hasn’t come back.
That’s a great question. The answer is no. It is not an empty promise. Jesus is coming back. God keeps his promises. There are two ways we know.
- We look at all of the promises kept in our own lives. Prayers answered, unexplained blessings (sometimes attributed to luck) and places where you can see the hand of God moving in hindsight (we rarely recognize it in real time).
- Looking at the promises fulfilled and warnings come to pass on a global level.
We all have moments in our lives where we can look back and clearly see the hand of God working. Maybe it was an accident or surgery you survived against all odds. Maybe it is a person that came into your life unexpectedly that provides monumental blessings and happiness. The birth of a child, witnessing one of the above things in one or all of your children.
Our problem is that we don’t remember these things or maybe we don’t attribute them to God. This was a known issue with Israel under the old covenant (Old Testament). If you read through the entire thing, you should take note of how many alters or monuments are set up or referred to. God had them erect alters and monuments to remember that he had blessed them. We do similar things, but maybe not for remembering God – we keep mementos or keepsakes that have special meaning. I suggest starting with your mementos or keepsakes and determine how God was involved in that event. I also think that a “Blessings book” is a great idea where you look back and then write down how God worked in your life in various memories. That way, when you start to lose hope, you can go back and review all of the blessings and fulfilled promises in your own life to remind you that God keeps his promises.
If you can’t think of anything in your own life, you can look at the entire world. I know it looks bleak, but there is one thing that ALWAYS reminds me that 1) God exists and 2) God keeps his promises. Here’s the promise:
Ezekiel 36:32–36 (You should look up and read this entire chapter, though – it’s awesome)
32 “I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!”
33 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt.
34 “The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.
35 “They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’
36 “Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and will do it.”
(emphasis mine)
In 1867 Mark Twain took a tour of the Holy Land and documented his experience in a short story called “A Pleasure Excursion in the Holy Land”. He wrote about the land, known as Palestine at the time, “Palestine is desolate and unlovely. And why should it be otherwise? Can the curse of the Deity beautify a land? Palestine is no more of this work-day world. It is sacred to poetry and tradition – it is dream-land.”
Visitors today compare Israel to the climate and beauty of California – a complete turn around from the days when Mark Twain visited.
Israel was recognized as a sovereign state on May 14, 1948. The land was released from British rule and the nation of Israel was recognized by the United Nations as a soverign state on that same day.
Isaiah 66:8–9 (NASB95)
8“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.
9“Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.
I give this history lesson because it is important. We have only to look at that tiny piece of land in the Middle East known as Israel to know that God keeps his promises. This promise was THOUSANDS of years old, but he still delivered. If you ever doubt the existence of God, simply look at Israel and all the focus on that land, exactly as God said would happen, you should know that he exists and keeps his promises.
Given that hard piece of evidence and the evidence you accumulate from your own life, you should not doubt the promise of Jesus’ return.
So your next question will likely be – what is he waiting on?
I love this question. It is absolutely a valid question, and you should ask it every single day, because God has an AWESOME answer for it through Peter, who answered this exact question in 2 Peter 3:3-9. The part of the passage that most directly answers the question?
2 Peter 3:8–9 (NASB95)
8But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
9The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
He tarries because he is making sure that everyone gets a chance to be saved! We should rejoice in every single day that he gives us in this broken world. We are on a rescue mission! Every second counts and time is running out.
I appreciate the popular books such as “A Purpose Driven Life” and books that try to help you find your purpose. I submit that we are all rescue workers trying to save lives – God’s will is not a mystery, it can be summed up in 2 Peter 3:9 – he wants as many as are willing to come to repentance.
It’s very easy to get caught up in the promises of this world, and I’m as guilty as the next person for getting distracted – but we need to focus on our real mission as Christians – rescue workers. It’s a tiring job that can seem like a losing cause, ask anyone who is a medic, trauma or emergency room worker. It’s emotionally draining and you need distractions from time to time, but don’t abandon the work. Seeing everyone when we are finally called home will be so worth it!
Spend some time thinking back on what God has done in and through you. Write it down. Then, let’s get back to work!
Go in peace and live your day for the Lord!
Spread the Gospel, lives depend on it!!!
In Christ,
Duane
