“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” Psalm 2:1
Many are asking what we should be doing when nations rage, when destructive plots make the path ahead wildly unclear, and tempt us to crumble in fear?
These past few years have been anything but certain, but we’re in new territory this week. The conflict in the Middle East rages, and Bill C9 just passed the House.
So what’s ‘the plan’? Psalm 2 goes on to declare the sovereignty of God, in spite of a world rife with pride, terror and destruction. It culminates with this, in verse 11:
“Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”
The plan remains exactly the same. Why? Because the Rock upon which it’s grounded is unchanging, immortal, eternal.
- Ground yourself firmly in faith in Jesus Christ. Seek truth in His Word, the Bible, pray.
- Out of the hope and confidence that provides, lead your families, sacrificially and courageously. Work to steady those around you. Speak truth in a world of lies. Raise a generation of godly, resilient, principled men and women. This is the building block for stability and for positive change.
- If you’re not already, be a participating member of a vibrant, faithful church that understands the sovereignty of God, and that nothing man does can ever change that.
This isn’t resignation or fatalism. We’re calling for faithfulness and action in the big and little things; confront lies, boldly speak truth, minister to the afflicted and fearful, do justice, love mercy.
Rings
On a closing note, in chatting with friends about the chaos around us, we talked about “rings”. Closest to us are rings of control, where we can actually have significant impact (our family, our church, our own business), then rings of influence (our local community, perhaps where you spend your money, business-wise) and lastly rings of mere observation (almost all of social media), matters over which we have no control.
Unfortunately, many of us spend far too much time, attention and emotion on that last ring, to the direct detriment things we can actually control.
We don’t completely ignore that ring of observation, but I’d argue taking your 20-year old out for coffee, and asking her how she’s handling the challenges of life will have far more impact than an hour tweaking that meme or sharing the latest news clips.
“Obsessing about the horizon is often a way of avoiding clear and present obligations. As PJ O’Rourke memorably put it, “Everybody wants to save the earth, nobody wants to help mom do the dishes.” Wisdom makes demands of us right where we are.” ~J. Rigney
For many, it will be tempting in the season ahead to swing between ignoring reality, and obsessive, doom-scrolling fear. But the world needs men and women who face the best and the worst with constancy and confidence. This kind of steadiness is only possible when we’re grounded in a hope that goes beyond our own means:
The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Ps 33:16–22)
Greg
