Fears

Posted on by korgrocker

“So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.”
2 Kings 6:14 NLT

Elisha was in trouble. The king of Aram was annoyed with him, because every time the Arameans made a plan to defeat Israel in the war that was going on, Elisha, “the man of God” got to hear about it and he warned Israel’s king accordingly. The Aramean king was convinced that he had a traitor amongst his officers and we read their defence, ““It’s not us, my Lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”” (2 Kings 6:12). Eventually the Aramean king found out where Elisha was staying, and in the night he sent a “great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city“. Their intent was to capture him and, I suspect, do him harm. Surely a time for fear and a dilemma for the inhabitants of Dothan, where Elisha was staying. 

Fast forward to 21st Century Planet Earth. News headlines of wars and threats abound. Just this morning the aftermath of the Israel/Iran spat continues with doomsday reports of Iran’s nuclear capability. The attempts by Israel to eliminate Hamas terrorists continues. The war between an aggressive Russia and Ukraine rumbles on into its third year. Press reports in the UK highlight the pitiful state of our nation’s defence capabilities. Tensions between different ethnic groups living in British occasionally boil over into strife. There has even been advice saying that households should keep a sum on money in cash available just in case there are problems with the banking system. Surely a time for fear and a dilemma for the inhabitants of the British Isles, where we stay. 

In Israel back in Elisha’s days, and in the UK today the problem is the same. We have a world riddled with evil and wickedness and the sins of mankind seem to have no bounds. And law-abiding citizens would be forgiven for quaking in fear and trepidation about what might happen next. So how should we pilgrims react in such a febrile world? The key is in what happens next in the story of Elish and the Arameans.

Elisha had a young servant and we read in 2 Kings 6:15, “When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha”. And then we read in the next two verses, ““Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire“. 

A quote from David Pawson: “I think sometimes we panic because we are only seeing what’s happening in the world that everybody else sees; if only we could see God’s point of view and see what’s happening in his sight. God is still on the throne. He is at peace, not worried about what is happening. It’s all going his way and he will end it all. When we read all the stark headlines in the press we get panicky. We say, ‘It’s coming to an end, it’s dreadful!’  Lord, open their eyes that they may see the real situation from God’s point of view“. On the face of it, world events at the moment are potentially scary in their outcomes. And on many people’s lips, even Christians, there is a plethora of “what if’s”. What if Russia attacks Poland? What if Iran develops a nuclear missile? What if …. (put in you own particular fear). But as David Pawson said, “God is still on His throne”. In His High Priestly prayer, Jesus said, “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come” (Matthew 24:6-8). The world is going through a birthing process just now, and has been for centuries. 

So, how should we pilgrims feel and respond. This is a time for God’s people to rise up and counter the stories of anxiety and worry, “what if’s” and hopelessness, fear and panic. We note two things from our experience as children of God. Firstly God has said, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Jesus Himself said “ …  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). Secondly, we are on a mission to tell others of God’s saving grace. A dog-walker I spoke to recently confessed to feeling hopeless and fearful in a world she thought was out of control, but at the same time she refused to believe that God had a remedy. People around us are without hope and it affects their ability to function as God intended, leaving them paralysed with anxiety and fear. 

We pilgrims stand on the promises of God. I recently saw a YouTube clip of a very emotional news report filed by a young Israeli journalist who had found many recent testimonies of miracles in the lives of Israeli men and women. And at the end she was asked how people should pray for her nation. Her reply was for people to pray Psalm 91 over Israel. The Psalm starts, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him”. We pilgrims rise up and echo the words of the writer to the Hebrews, “So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”” (Hebrews 13:6). One day, sooner or later, we will be called to our Heavenly home, where we are assured of a tremendous welcome. So rather than worry and stress over the state of the world, we echo the words at the end of the Book of Revelation, “Come Lord Jesus”. 

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your presence in this world, holding back the forces of evil that would destroy everyone, given the opportunity. But we are not a people who hide their heads in the sand and hope everything will get better. We pray for world events with a passion fired and fuelled by our faith and trust in You and we worship and praise You today. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

Nations Will Fall

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power. Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm. Give victory to our king, O Lord! Answer our cry for help.”
Psalm 20:6-9 NLT

David wrote that the boasting nations will “fall down and collapse”, in spite of all “their chariots and horses”. And as we look back through history we find that is indeed the case. But there was a man in the Old Testament who had some remarkable visions and in one of them, “… four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others” (Daniel 7:3). There was a lion with eagles’ wings, a bear, a leopard, and then one with ten horns. Daniel then recorded, “As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly” (Daniel 7:8). Notice the “boasting” bit. Daniel asked an angel for an explanation. Daniel wrote, “I, Daniel, was troubled by all I had seen, and my visions terrified me. So I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: “These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever”” (Daniel 7:15-18).

David wrote that nations that rely on their own strength will ultimately fail and there is only one kingdom that will ever succeed. We pilgrims know that the only successful kingdom is the Kingdom of God, and its King is Jesus. There will come a time when all the earthly kingdoms and nations will finally collapse, as they have in the past. Where today is the “Third Reich”? The Roman Empire? The Persian and the Babylonian empires? All gone. And today the efforts of deluded men waging war and creating mayhem in the 21st Century will ultimately fail. If only they would read the Bible, learn from it, and history, and accept that their kingdoms will fall.

Jesus told His disciples about His return one day. Matthew 24:30, “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” We pick up the account in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever“. Finally, we read about the thousand year reign of Christ in Revelation 20, followed by the establishment of a new Heaven and a new earth in Revelation 21. We pilgrims know what will happen one day. We might still be here on earth when it happens, or we might not, but happen it will. In the meantime we will do what David did – “rise up and stand firm”. 

We do not need to fear the world events. They are just a transient phenomenon when viewed from the perspective of eternity. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). We pilgrims are people who look after our souls, feeding them and caring for them, because they will live for ever. We feed them, not with physical food, but with the Word of God and prayer to our wonderful Heavenly Father. He cares for us we know (1 Peter 5:7). 1 John 3:1, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him“. Let us reach out to Father today and feel the love. And the grace. And the mercy. And it will all be there tomorrow as well. We praise and worship the Father today.

Father God. What can we say? Our only response is one of deep gratitude and worship. We give You all the glory. Amen.

Peace

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:27 NLT

There is much in the Bible about “Peace”. The Jewish word, “Shalom”, meaning “peace”, amongst other things, is well known and adopted by many as a greeting, along with a hug, kiss, or handshake, according to the culture. Paul started off his letter to the Ephesians with, “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace” (Ephesians 1:2). Jude included such an introduction in his short letter, “May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love” (Jude 1:2). Letter writing convention today sometimes concludes with a blessing of peace.

In a world of wars and chaos, people desperate for an oasis of peace somewhere try to find it by visiting churches and monasteries, or joining a pilgrimage to a place previously associated with a move of God or where a particular saint or other holy person used to live. But much searching after peace is destined for disappointment because a worldly solution cannot be found for the yearnings for peace within. Everywhere we look there is a deficit of peace, a deficit that extends from a national and international level all the way down to family relationships. The impact of sin and devil-induced wickedness seems never-ending. 

But in it all there is a ray of hope. Jesus was not referring to a worldly peace. Even with an absence of such a peace, there is still the inner turmoil and strife that can afflict all people facing the worries and anxieties of life. At the end of a war there is jubilation and relief, now that the conflict has ended. But soon such feelings are replaced by the reality of living with the economic and societal consequences and realities of life, an external lack of war replaced by the internal wars in people’s souls. 

Jesus reassured His disciples that they would never have to feel again the chaos of a lack of peace within them. He told them that He was leaving them with a gift of “peace of mind and heart”. Kingdom peace is nothing like worldly peace, which never lasts very long. Jesus’ gift of peace was to be a permanent presence in the lives of believers for ever. The disciples experienced it and so can we pilgrims. There is no war and strife in God’s Kingdom. Instead there is a positive environment of love, joy, righteousness, and all the wonderful spiritual attributes we find in God’s presence. So the world around us will be dissolving into a chaotic panic while we calmly continue to trust in God who has the solution. Jesus came to this world to bring peace to mankind, as prophesised many years before, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Through His gift of forgiveness of sins, Jesus, by His death, introduced an opportunity for the salvation of people everywhere, people otherwise riven by a lack of peace, and His gift continues to be available today. 

Paul, an Apostle treated so badly by the world around him, could write, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Paul understood the same and eternal peace that is available to us as well, that peace promised as a gift by Jesus, “peace of mind and heart”. Fellow pilgrims, are you in a storm of chaos and a lack of peace just now? If so, there is a gift awaiting for you that will provide a remedy. It won’t necessarily take away the worldly situation you are facing, but God’s peace will somehow provide the strength and positivity to carry on, step by step, towards our Heavenly goal. 

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise and worship You today with thankful hearts. Your peace floods over us in strife-ridden times. Amen.

Jesus Took the Scroll

Posted on by korgrocker

“He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”
Revelation‬ ‭5:7-8‬ ‭NIVUK

In his vision, John sees Jesus take the scroll from “Him who sits on the throne”, God Himself. That very act fired the starting gun on the start of the End Times, which Jesus gave a glimpse of in Matthew 24. Don’t forget that He also said He didn’t know when this would happen. We read in Matthew 24:36, “But about that day or hour no-one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Jesus knew what would happen, and He warned His disciples about it, but the timing was in God’s, the Father’s, hands.

In evangelical circles there has been much speculation about when the End Times will be upon us. I have heard verses describing topical events like wars used as a sign that ”the end of the world is nigh”. We read in Matthew 24:4-6, “You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth-pains.” To some, with war in Europe escalating, and consequentially damaging the world economies and food and energy supplies, the end seems near. But there have been wars between nations since time began, so it would perhaps be premature to think that the end of the world is upon us.

Occasionally, someone will make a prophetic statement, claiming some special revelation that the world will end on such and such a date. I can think of the 16th century French astrologer Nostradamus for one. And a Google search will reveal many similar predictions, dates for most of which have passed, leaving an embarrassed prophet in their wake. The one mistake all these so-called prophets make is that they don’t read or believe the words written in the Bible. There is only One person, God Himself, who knows when the end of the world will be, and who holds the power to make it happen. Only He knows when Jesus will return to this world. And He certainly isn’t going to reveal that date to some random so-called prophet when even His own Son, Jesus, didn’t know when it would be.

What do we pilgrims do about this? The key is in Matthew 24:42, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” We pilgrims have to be alert and faithful. It makes sense that we don’t know when the end of the world will happen, because if we did, there would be that temptation to live a sinful life, knowing that repentance at the last minute would be enough to assure our salvation. In Matthew 25 Jesus told the story of the ten Bridesmaids, or Virgins. It was a graphic parable telling His listeners that five of the bridesmaids would fail to enter the place where the wedding feast was to take place, because they weren’t ready. And Jesus ends the story with the verse in Matthew 25:13, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of My return.” Another reminder for His disciples.

So we pilgrims do the things Jesus has asked us to do. We keep short accounts with Him, repenting of our sins, reading His Word, the Bible, encouraging our brothers and sisters, and so on. We are each on a journey to our promised land, where our crown of life awaits us. And by being faithful we don’t have to worry, or get anxious, about world events. Our Heavenly Father cares for us. We read in 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” We have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us, and in that loving relationship with Him, we can trust Him. The One who holds the future of the world, your future, and my future, is all that matters.

Dear Father God. We are so grateful that You hold everything together in our war-torn world. We thank You for Your care and lovingkindness. And we thank You for Your faithfulness for each one of us even when we stumble and lose our way. What an amazing God You are! Amen.

God’s Mighty Warriors

Posted on by korgrocker

God has promised this by His holiness: “I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, My helmet, will produce My warriors, and Judah, My sceptre, will produce My kings. But Moab, My washbasin, will become My servant, and I will wipe My feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.”
Psalm 60:6-8 NLT

David, the Warrior King, is out doing battle again. This time the fight was against Aram to the North but it seemed to be a struggle, if verses 1-4 of the Psalm are anything to go by. However, God made clear His support for His people and His disdain for the other three nations who surrounded Israel to the West, East and South. 

But what is the relevance of this Psalm to 21st Century Planet Earth? To the societies in which we live? Though the Western societies are largely at peace with each other, there are places in the world that seem to exist in a permanent sense of strife. And there are governments that impose peace on their populations with a heavy hand. The answer comes in the last verse, “With God’s help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes.” Whatever we are about, God’s help is available to us. We may not be fighting a physical battle with a strong foe. We may not be surrounded by malevolent nations. But we will be facing one battle or another or know someone who is. We might be fighting a battle on a ventilator with Covid. We might be fighting a battle against cancer or some other life-threatening illness. It might be our mental health that is drawing us into a battle against depression. We might battle to get up in the morning, held back by aches and pains due to arthritis. These days, we might be fighting a battle getting basic commodities such as road fuel or paying rising energy bills. It doesn’t matter what we are facing into in life, though. God will help us in our battles. There are many helpful Scriptures. Here’s a good one (they’re all good though!), “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God Himself will fight for you.” Deuteronomy 3:22.

So whatever you are facing into today, whatever battle you are fighting, hang on to the thought written by David in today’s Psalm – “With God’s help we will do mighty things...” So go for it, mighty warriors! And believe for God’s provision in your fight against your foes.