One of the conditions of the end-times is fear. Jesus prophesied this in the Gospel of Luke 21:25-26 (ESV)
“25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
We have never been in such a time as this, at least not in my lifetime. This pandemic has caused people to live in absolute anxiety with no apparent light at the end of the tunnel. People are being shut down in certain areas of the country. State and county leaders are making demands on their citizens that seem overbearing. The result? Well, the suicide rate has sky-rocketed and the use of anti-anxiety and anti-depression medicine is also at an all time high. Our elderly are paying the deepest price emotionally for being isolated. During the last 9 months, people have lost loved ones, family businesses all because of Covid. Things have only been exacerbated by the tension of the present political situation in our nation.
I was watching a dialogue with 3 well know Christian leaders this morning. Their conviction was that the church has not taught believers how to contend for the promises of God and for their inheritance. We have become wimps and not fighters. There has never been a more important time for the “revealing of sons to all creation.” What an incredible opportunity to represent the “Prince of Peace” to those who live in fear. Where does this peace come from? It can only come from absolute confidence in the Lord. Isaiah was a prophet during some of the most tumultuous times of the Southern Kingdom of Judah in Israel. Even though the scripture alludes to the fact that he was actually sawed into 2 parts by king Manasseh, one of the most familiar verses about peace comes from his book; Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
“3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Our focus no matter of our environment must be upon the Lord. All this turmoil causes each one of us to check to see where we are anchored. When Christ is my anchor, I have nothing to fear because He has become my source for everything. Jesus also said this during the “Sermon on the Mount”; Matt 5:9 (ESV)
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God”; Matthew 5:9 (ESV).
Part of the role of the sons of God is to walk perpetually in a place of peace. Being a peace maker does not mean going about settling arguments, it means carrying His peace wherever I go. During this season, I’ve had some incredible God moments of sharing the love of God and sharing His peace in many situations. People are responding well to the comfort He brings no matter what the situation. He is after all, the “Prince of Peace.”