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(NOTE FROM JAN: We are all dealing with them—stresses, tensions, and anxieties. Our staff pastor, Josh Schwartz, writes about them this week. I hope you find these thoughts helpful--and stress relieving.)
Tension is the word that comes to mind as I sit down to write this. There is tension in the world because of all the wars and rumors of wars. There is tension due to global geopolitics. There is tension because of the rise of tribalism in America.
There is tension in the hearts and minds of many people as they emotionally prepare for the holiday season and everything that it brings.
There is tension because of the unresolved war between Israel and all the Iranian proxies.
On top of all the aforementioned tension, there is more still, due to the increasing rise of antisemitism worldwide.
So, How Do We Respond?
With all this tension cluttering the hearts and minds, how must followers of Jesus resolve and respond?
When tension builds in my body, it manifests as knots that cause back soreness and dreadful headaches.
So, what do I do? I resolve the tension through intentional guarding of my heart and mind, strengthened by the refreshing promises of the Word of God, and by consistent visits to the chiropractor.
Since I cannot take all of you to the chiropractor, I will refresh you with the Word of God.
Nothing Happens by Chance!
As we look around at this chaotic and tense world, we must remember that none of the events are happening by chance, nor have they caught the Lord off guard. God is sovereign, and all things are happening to accomplish His will and purposes.
God’s will and purposes are brought forth for His glory and for our good. He is the loving Creator who intimately knit us together in our mother’s womb and who knows the number of hairs on our head.
God speaks through the prophet Isaiah,
“I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me, there is no God. ... I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things. “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it." (Isaiah 45:5-8)
Is God in Control or Not?
The Lord our God is in total control; He is at work, allowing well-being and creating calamity to accomplish the sovereign purposes of His will. Because of His faithful character and promises of future hope, as His followers, we can rest in His sovereign plans, comforted by His gracious hands.
Believer, I understand how easy it is to get caught up in the news cycle, how simple it is to become calloused to the evils around us, and how tempting it is to retreat inward and become a hermit in this dark world.
However, this is not how followers of Jesus, called to be salt and light, are meant to respond. We must remember that Jesus intentionally created us and placed us where we are for a purpose, especially for a time such as this.
Lean Into the Tension and be the Light Jesus Intended
The news cycle will continue to spread fear, but we are called to share the hope and joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As evil in the world increases, we must also reveal the often-hidden battles between good and evil, and between light and darkness.
The desire to turn inward and disconnect will always be present, but we have only a short time to be faithful ambassadors of Jesus.
Friends, lean into the tension, tell the truth, and be the light that Jesus intended for you to be.
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