There is a lot of chaos going on right now. Have you noticed how it seems we are experiencing so much topsy turvy stuff going on around us? This past weekend there was a mass shooting in North Carolina, a Mormon church was the site of destruction and a mass shooting, New Orleans had 5 people shot over the weekend on Bourbon Street. The price of groceries has skyrocketed. As I’m writing this, there is a government shutdown looming before us. Politicians can’t seem to speak civilly to one another, they resort to demonizing each other’s positions. To put it simply, its KRAZY, yes with a ‘K”, out there!
Here we are, surrounded by all of this chaos, not to mention whatever chaos may be raging in our own personal lives and spheres of influence. What do we do? How do we cope? Where do we turn?
The first thing I can think of is to compare history with today. It is no more crazy and chaotic than it was in the 1950’s with the “Communist” scare and McCarthyism. It was no less chaotic than the 1960’s and ’70’s with the Vietnam conflict, the war protests, the civil unrest, the struggle for civil rights by persons of color. In the 1940’s the whole world was at war. In the 1930’s the whole world was in a deep and horrendous economic depression.
I could go on and on, but the truth is, this time is no less chaotic than any other time in human history. There has always been unrest. There have always been wars. There has always been inhumanity shown to groups of subjugated peoples. There has always been a divide between the haves and have nots. It is a fact there has never been a time when some chaos has not been going on somewhere in the world.
If you’re like me, you just have a desperation about you where you are looking for some semblance of peace, calm, quiet, rest. How do we find those things? Where do we look?
In the Psalms we find a word for us, Psalm 46:10…”Be still, and know that I am God.” “This is a passage that speaks about God’s power and security in times of chaos. The command to “be still” means to surrender, release control, and find rest in God’s presence, trusting that He is in control and will be exalted in the earth.”
In those simple words we are commanded to surrender the struggling we put ourselves through, and let go of our worry and anxiety. We don’t need to control the outcome, God will do that. Even in great trouble and chaos, God is still in control and God’s purposes will ultimately be achieved.
If we apply that passage in those time when we are feeling the most unrest in our lives, we can find a time and place for quiet reflection. We can seek an inner peace for our soul, but consciously trusting God to be present for us and in us.
Jesus, the one we are attempting to follow in this journey of life, speaks to our need for peace. In John 14:27 Jesus says, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.”
Jesus has told us when the world seems to be going to hell, we have his peace. No need for us to get caught up in anxiety and fear because of what we see around us. We have the peace of Jesus given to us. We do not have to let ourselves be tossed around by the trouble and chaos we see. We know Jesus is with us, and nothing that comes about will overcome the love of God Jesus continues to point us toward.
Robert Monson prays…
“Spirit abide with us here. Give us rest this world can’t match. A space of solace, solitude, and yes refreshing.
Rest now, body. rest now, mind. Spirit abide with us here.”
Finally, friends, In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Paul says to the troubled people there, and to us…”And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Although the troubles of this world are many, we have a God who can overcome all these things.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom