Saturday, August 25, 2012

For Such a Time as This

Back in the sixties Jerry Lee Lewis sang “there is a whole lot of shaking going on.” However, those "shakings" do not begin to compare with what’s happening in the world today and what is coming. Hebrews 12 informs us that everything that can be shaken, will.


What is a person supposed to do who is concerned about what must soon happen? Even Jesus pointed out that in the last days “many hearts will fail for fear.” Nevertheless, God always has a perfect plan. He reveals truth to prepare us, not to cause us to fear. First Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that God is faithful to give us the grace to endure, but more importantly, He will also show us the “way of escape.” In other words, rather than just “grin and bear it,” we are going to overcome. The promise in Isaiah 60 is that when darkness covers the earth, His light shall also come and shine in you. His glory will be seen in you.

“For such a time as this,” Mordecai told Esther in the day of extreme trouble for the Jews, after she had come into the King’s palace. Clearly God had arranged events and given her favor to be in position to stop Haman from killing all the Israelites. Likewise, God is arranging events and giving favor to believers to “know their God and do great exploits” in the days ahead according to Daniel 11:32.

We have a choice. Either we go along with the world in a business as usual attitude, or we wake up and realize we have been brought into God's Kingdom to make an eternal difference. We are called to go beyond enjoying the blessings of peace, health, and prosperity and only living for our own comfort. Desperate times call for desperate measures.  We can use this time and position to come to know Him and become grounded in the truth of His Word.  God commands us to stand in the strength of the Lord, exercise His power in the spiritual fight, and extend the triumph of Jesus Christ to change lives forever.  In short, God sets before us life and death. Choose life.

How do we choose life in this "such a time?" The answer is to make it our first priority to know God. Yet, we can’t even love or know God without His help. So ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us each morning. Cry out as Paul did in Ephesians 1:17, "that God may give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Then deliberately take time each day to read and to think about His Word until the truth is stronger than the world's ways or your own human thoughts and desires.

God has brought you (us) into His powerful kingdom and put us in the world in the midst of the shaking going on for such a time as this. Even Jesus before His death and resurrection stated, “For this purpose I have come.” This is the time to get to know and love Him with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength.  In this awesome relationship, in His light we will become light.  God needs you (us) for such a time as this to be His light.  We will overcome the darkness.  Jesus reassures us, "Fear not, I have overcome the world."

3 comments:

  1. Sarah Cameron
    In today’s world, it seems that there is constantly some news of riots, overthrown governments, shootings, terrorism, weak economies, and natural disasters. It would seem that the world is destined to continue down this path as things continue to become increasingly corrupt and devastating. Though some try to explain this undeniable change away, it is clear that it is all part of God’s plan. With every disaster and tragedy, more people realize the only refuge is in God.
    Hopeless as it may seem to those who do not know God, He is still fully in control. Each happening serves to drive the lost to Him, for He is the only one who can make any real change. We, as children of God, are supposed to be the ones to reach out to the hurting and helpless, to relieve suffering, and show them God’s love. Just as Esther was in the right place at the right time to save the Jews from annihilation, so we are in the right place at the right time to be a light to those around us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary Sawicki
    8-30-2012

    This article is notifying us, as Christians, just what to expect in the future to come. The world is about to go up a whole new level on the interesting scale, as tensions seem to be high all around.

    It is also trying to notify us to remain strong in Jesus Christ, and to remember that He is our Rock, He will never falter. Just like in chapel this week, (8-29-10) Mr. Oborny was talking about God being our Shepherd. That He will lead us where we need to go, and protect us when we are in trouble.

    “The promise in Isaiah 60 is that when darkness covers the earth, His light shall also come and shine in you. His glory will be seen in you.” This is also a reassurance to us, that even though darkness will cast shadows among us, Jesus’ light, shining through us, will drive them back. And when we walk among other people, those same shadows will cringe back in fear, and we can make our light grow bigger and brighter through prayer, faith, and other people.

    This article is a call out to our fellow Christians- we need to wake up and have realization dawn on us, so we can take action and stand against evil. And for the time being, I believe that we can take the time to start step by step. We should begin by asking God every morning for guidance and to fill us with His knowledge so we can keep grow stronger and stronger, and be prepared for the day “everything is shaken”.

    But I think most importantly, this article is telling us to have faith in His power and righteousness, for He really has proven true: "Fear not, for I have overcome the world." We really do just need to take it step by step, and leave the rest up for His glorious plan for us in these times.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anne Mwangi
    This article challenges us, as believers, to remember that God still has a purpose for us in the time that we are living in. God is still searching for the ones who will stand strong in the Word and be rooted in righteousness while this world falls apart. In Ezekiel 22:30, God says, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
    In second Chronicles 7:14 it says, “If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” God desires His children to be the ones that cry out to Him. He wants us to be the ones that follow Him and know that His Word never fails. We have been called to spread the good news to the lost souls, to the broken-hearted, and to this dyeing world.
    In conclusion, God is searching for people who will be the Esther of this time; we need to stand up and know we have been called into His Kingdom for such a time as this. Also we had to remember, believers, in the book of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

    ReplyDelete