Turning Point

Do you stockpile food and water? Do you own a solar-powered generator? Do you have a hard copy of your contact list in case your electronic connections fail? What about a first aid kit and toolbox?

Lots of people are thinking about preparing for the “what if” in life. The Atlantic carried an article about a growing number of survivalists and “preppers” who use Internet sites to swap ideas on storing food, stockpiling supplies, cleaning weapons, and providing emergency medical care in the absence of doctors.[1]

Some people take it further. The Daily Mail reported on a Colorado family who spent vast amounts of money and time preparing for a day when “suddenly, and completely without warning” the world will experience “a total blackout—no electricity, no mobile phones, no banks, no Internet, no TV, no emergency services. Nothing.” The stockpile included drums of food and gallons of water, a solar oven, a generator, a propane burner, a water filtration device, surgical masks, grills, backpacks, solar panels, and more.

According to the news source, it’s all in preparation for a day when the economy fails, the world loses power and energy, communications go dark, and society collapses in chaos with mass riots and warfare.

Understandable Anxiety

I can understand the alarm. Both Christians and non-Christians are preoccupied with the end of the world today. Our world is shuddering with conflicts in the Middle East, pandemics, cyber warfare, and the proliferation of destructive chemical and biological weapons. The global economy is hanging by a thread, and the foundations of morality are collapsing like a suspension bridge. We are living in the Last Days against the buildup of the Rapture of the Church and the backdrop of the Great Tribulation.

But there’s a balance. It’s easy to look at today’s world and feel troubled. Many Christians are plagued with worry, fear, and doubt. There’s a natural sense of fatalism and defeat as we look at the turbulent times around us. But remember, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). The Bible says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe” (Proverbs 29:25).

Our Lord doesn’t want us to be anxious. Instead, take a moment to remember Who is in charge! Today is the day to trust God.

Undergirding Confidence

            This is the central message of Psalm 11, which begins with King David affirming his confidence in God: “In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain?’” Someone in David’s life was telling him to flee. Psalm 11 was David’s response. Perhaps I can best convey the meaning of Psalm 11:1-4 by rephrasing it into my own words.

I have put my trust in the Lord, so how can you advise me to flee like a bird to my mountain? How can you tell me the wicked will kill me with their bows and arrows? How can you suggest the foundations are destroyed and there is nothing the righteous can do? Don’t you know who is in charge? The Lord is still in His holy temple. The Lord is on His heavenly throne. His eyes miss nothing.

            This is the message we need to embrace today. The foundations may seem to be crumbling, the wicked may be stringing their bows, the times may be chaotic, but if our faith is in the Lord, there is no need to panic. Trust Him who is in His holy temple. He is still on His heavenly throne, and the Lord yet reigns. He surrounds us with His grace; and in His timing He’ll take us to be with Himself. Until then we trust Him and His sovereignty. Otherwise we’ll live in defeat, worry every morning, fret every night, and be haunted by each headline. How much better it is to remember Who is in control of politics, plagues, and the princes of the earth!

It is good to be prepared. We should take every sensible precaution for unexpected events in our lives. But it is important to remember that God is in control, and nothing will happen without His permission.

            Today is the day to trust God.

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David Jeremiah is the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California, and the founder and host of Turning Point for God. For more information about David Jeremiah visit www.DavidJeremiah.org.