Hope in Times of Chaos
“Everywhere things are troubling and uneasy - wars and rumours of war: perhaps not the final hour but certainly times most evil. Nevertheless, the Apostle again and again bids us "Rejoice." Nature herself bids us to do so, the very face of the earth being now renewed, after its own manner, at the start of Spring. I believe the men of this age think too much about the state of nations and the situation of the world…We are not kings, we are not senators. Let us beware lest, while we torture ourselves in vain about the state of Europe, we neglect either Verona or Oxford. In the poor man who knocks at my door, in my ailing mother, in the young man who seeks my advice, the Lord Himself is present: therefore let us wash His feet."
This was a quote from famed author of The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, and of course the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis. Though in this quote he was reflecting about the state of the world in 1947, Lewis had also fought in World War I in the devastating and brutal trenches of France where he was wounded in April 1918 in the Battle of Arras. This was a man who knew war and loss. His mother died at the age of 10, he lost his best schoolmate Paddy Moore in the war, but despite such devastating losses he found hope, healing, and his identity in Jesus. And so too, did the man who Lewis quoted in saying, “rejoice.”
The Apostle Paul, while in prison, wrote the church in Philippi that they must remain strong. The passage in its entirety reads:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
He doesn’t say rejoice when things are going our way, rejoice when we have the right job or get a raise. It’s not only when we are at the top of our game, no, he says we are to “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and makes a point of stating it again. This is a deep-seated contentment that’s not based on physical circumstances, but on the fact that we are profoundly loved by our Father. Even in our imperfections, our willful rebellion against Him, He still loves us as His children, His heirs. That my friends, is why Paul tells us to Rejoice always. Because there is absolutely nothing in this world that can separate us from God’s unconditional, powerful, unflinching and overwhelming love.
He goes on to say we are to let our reasonableness be made known to everyone. Think about it, when chaos ensues and everyone is running around screaming, when the rest of the world calls for blood from boiling hatred, when grief overpowers and destroys lives, the Christian, Paul writes, is to remain reasonable, why? Because the Lord is at hand. Later in the letter Paul says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Look at the news these days. Russian passenger plane explodes from bomb, ISIS massacres hundreds in Paris, man goes on shooting spree in Oregon, the list goes on. We’re at war and always have been. Since the day in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam were so easily deceived and decided to worship themselves instead of God. Now don’t judge me and I hope I don’t lose too many people here, but I’ve been reading the Harry Potter series lately and in “The Prisoner of Azkaban” there are these soulless creatures called Dementors, which are among the foulest creatures that walk the earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them…Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself…soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life." Wonderful right? Our lives can often sound like that sometimes. The news often sounds like that, sucking all happiness from the world, but there is a way to combat this despair, this evil presence. In the book its called a patronus charm, which is the most powerful defensive charm there is and is cast by thinking of the happiest moment of your life. It takes the form of a spirit guardian that repels the Dementors. Remind you of anything? Think about the calendar. It’s split into BC and AD. World history forever changed when Jesus was born, lived, and died for our sin. And not only that, He was raised from the dead, thus utterly shattering deaths hold on us! This is humanity’s happiest memory and like the patronus charm, those that have a relationship with this man Jesus have a spirit guardian, the Holy Spirit, whose job is to point us to Christ, to his power and authority, to His sacrifice and future return to make things right. God is still sovereign, He still reigns, His redemptive story is still playing out, until that time when the full number of people that will reside with Him is reached.
In Revelation John records, “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”
I guess what I’m trying to say is that we have absolutely nothing to fear when Jesus is our identity, our Saviour. Let me spit out a few more verses and thoughts that speak to this. How about Matthew 10:28 that says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Or, “You don’t have a soul, you have a body. You ARE a soul.” Again Paul says in Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Hope, in the dark time that C.S. Lewis lived and what we are seeing is nearer than we can imagine. Again, Paul is writing the Philippians from prison! Yet he tells them, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything pray!” Prayer is a one-on-one connection with our Creator. Let that sink in. Because of Jesus, we can communicate with God, who created EVERYTHING. I think its not that we try prayer and find it wanting or unfulfilling, but that it’s found difficult and left untried. What if we really pressed into God, really devoted a good amount of time unloading our hearts, our burdens, our selves? Are we afraid He might reveal something? That we may weep as we discover our brokenness? Good, that’s a start. When we do this, when we stop for a moment and refuse to let the world, technology, and the like dictate our pace, God’s peace washes over us so mightily that our hearts and minds are guarded through relationship with Him, a peace that surpasses all understanding. I admit that I often find myself in turmoil. My father-in-law just had his cancerous prostate removed this past Tuesday, trying to get paperwork in for my internship before the deadline, putting a memorial service together, which I’ve never done before, all these things made me quite anxious! So I stopped myself, literally dropped everything I was doing and prayed. Prayed for patience, calm, for others to come along my side to help, and of course peace. And God provided in every one of those situations. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we?
C.S. Lewis was not always so full of hope. In fact, he abandoned his faith in 1911. But through life’s circumstances, through God’s providence he met those that would eventually bring him back to a saving relationship with God. J.R.R. Tolkien, whom also went through the wars, brought him to a place of intellectual and inner confidence in the fact that Jesus is who he says he is. Don’t let this detail pass unnoticed. God’s number one plan in drawing us closer to himself is other people. We are built for relationship. Look at the church, what is it, it’s the fellowship of believers’, not a building, it’s the body, us, of Christ. We must strive in this life with those around us, growing with each other as disciples and disciple-makers. Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is exactly that, a letter to the church, not an individual. We must look out for one another, keep each other accountable, do life together. Do you have a church you belong to? If not, I’ll help you find one. Are you apart of a small group? No, I’m leading one Thursday nights starting Dec. 3rd at the Armory. Get involved, live your faith. Remember to stand tall together, let not fear trap us, isolate us from the source of hope, for we are not guaranteed safety, but assurance in life everlasting.
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the children in the book ask Mr. Beaver if Aslan, the lion that represents God, is safe. His response is on point, “Safe…who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good, He’s the king, I tell you.”
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
This was a quote from famed author of The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, and of course the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis. Though in this quote he was reflecting about the state of the world in 1947, Lewis had also fought in World War I in the devastating and brutal trenches of France where he was wounded in April 1918 in the Battle of Arras. This was a man who knew war and loss. His mother died at the age of 10, he lost his best schoolmate Paddy Moore in the war, but despite such devastating losses he found hope, healing, and his identity in Jesus. And so too, did the man who Lewis quoted in saying, “rejoice.”
The Apostle Paul, while in prison, wrote the church in Philippi that they must remain strong. The passage in its entirety reads:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
He doesn’t say rejoice when things are going our way, rejoice when we have the right job or get a raise. It’s not only when we are at the top of our game, no, he says we are to “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and makes a point of stating it again. This is a deep-seated contentment that’s not based on physical circumstances, but on the fact that we are profoundly loved by our Father. Even in our imperfections, our willful rebellion against Him, He still loves us as His children, His heirs. That my friends, is why Paul tells us to Rejoice always. Because there is absolutely nothing in this world that can separate us from God’s unconditional, powerful, unflinching and overwhelming love.
He goes on to say we are to let our reasonableness be made known to everyone. Think about it, when chaos ensues and everyone is running around screaming, when the rest of the world calls for blood from boiling hatred, when grief overpowers and destroys lives, the Christian, Paul writes, is to remain reasonable, why? Because the Lord is at hand. Later in the letter Paul says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Look at the news these days. Russian passenger plane explodes from bomb, ISIS massacres hundreds in Paris, man goes on shooting spree in Oregon, the list goes on. We’re at war and always have been. Since the day in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam were so easily deceived and decided to worship themselves instead of God. Now don’t judge me and I hope I don’t lose too many people here, but I’ve been reading the Harry Potter series lately and in “The Prisoner of Azkaban” there are these soulless creatures called Dementors, which are among the foulest creatures that walk the earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them…Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself…soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life." Wonderful right? Our lives can often sound like that sometimes. The news often sounds like that, sucking all happiness from the world, but there is a way to combat this despair, this evil presence. In the book its called a patronus charm, which is the most powerful defensive charm there is and is cast by thinking of the happiest moment of your life. It takes the form of a spirit guardian that repels the Dementors. Remind you of anything? Think about the calendar. It’s split into BC and AD. World history forever changed when Jesus was born, lived, and died for our sin. And not only that, He was raised from the dead, thus utterly shattering deaths hold on us! This is humanity’s happiest memory and like the patronus charm, those that have a relationship with this man Jesus have a spirit guardian, the Holy Spirit, whose job is to point us to Christ, to his power and authority, to His sacrifice and future return to make things right. God is still sovereign, He still reigns, His redemptive story is still playing out, until that time when the full number of people that will reside with Him is reached.
In Revelation John records, “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”
I guess what I’m trying to say is that we have absolutely nothing to fear when Jesus is our identity, our Saviour. Let me spit out a few more verses and thoughts that speak to this. How about Matthew 10:28 that says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Or, “You don’t have a soul, you have a body. You ARE a soul.” Again Paul says in Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Hope, in the dark time that C.S. Lewis lived and what we are seeing is nearer than we can imagine. Again, Paul is writing the Philippians from prison! Yet he tells them, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything pray!” Prayer is a one-on-one connection with our Creator. Let that sink in. Because of Jesus, we can communicate with God, who created EVERYTHING. I think its not that we try prayer and find it wanting or unfulfilling, but that it’s found difficult and left untried. What if we really pressed into God, really devoted a good amount of time unloading our hearts, our burdens, our selves? Are we afraid He might reveal something? That we may weep as we discover our brokenness? Good, that’s a start. When we do this, when we stop for a moment and refuse to let the world, technology, and the like dictate our pace, God’s peace washes over us so mightily that our hearts and minds are guarded through relationship with Him, a peace that surpasses all understanding. I admit that I often find myself in turmoil. My father-in-law just had his cancerous prostate removed this past Tuesday, trying to get paperwork in for my internship before the deadline, putting a memorial service together, which I’ve never done before, all these things made me quite anxious! So I stopped myself, literally dropped everything I was doing and prayed. Prayed for patience, calm, for others to come along my side to help, and of course peace. And God provided in every one of those situations. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we?
C.S. Lewis was not always so full of hope. In fact, he abandoned his faith in 1911. But through life’s circumstances, through God’s providence he met those that would eventually bring him back to a saving relationship with God. J.R.R. Tolkien, whom also went through the wars, brought him to a place of intellectual and inner confidence in the fact that Jesus is who he says he is. Don’t let this detail pass unnoticed. God’s number one plan in drawing us closer to himself is other people. We are built for relationship. Look at the church, what is it, it’s the fellowship of believers’, not a building, it’s the body, us, of Christ. We must strive in this life with those around us, growing with each other as disciples and disciple-makers. Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is exactly that, a letter to the church, not an individual. We must look out for one another, keep each other accountable, do life together. Do you have a church you belong to? If not, I’ll help you find one. Are you apart of a small group? No, I’m leading one Thursday nights starting Dec. 3rd at the Armory. Get involved, live your faith. Remember to stand tall together, let not fear trap us, isolate us from the source of hope, for we are not guaranteed safety, but assurance in life everlasting.
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the children in the book ask Mr. Beaver if Aslan, the lion that represents God, is safe. His response is on point, “Safe…who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good, He’s the king, I tell you.”
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Great reminder. I love the juxtaposition of fixing our eyes on Him vs. our worldly troubles (which seems to magnify our anxious concerns the longer we try to process them.) It's encouraging and vital to know that the solution is not escaping this world, but rather engaging this world with the confidence that Christ has overcome it already! Thanks for this one.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ian, I needed this reminder.
ReplyDelete