“May the Lord direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s endurance.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:5
Here’s a timely prayer for 2020! We have so little control over the challenging externals of our time: pandemic, election, civil breakdown, anger, injustice, recession, etc. However, in Christ we have access to all we need to not only endure the ups and downs of life, but to thrive, glorify God, and share Christ!
That won’t be our default human response. Our default human response will be to join in with those who are angry and hateful. It will be to succumb to resentment, frustration, and cynicism about “those people” (whoever we may think they are). Our default human response will be to become discouraged by the relentless tide of bad news and simply decide to give up. As Christians, we will still be tempted to indulge our human response – many Jesus-loving Christians have. But that isn’t what God wants for His people!
As followers of Jesus, we have access to the infinite riches and resources of God Himself! Through the Holy Spirit Who lives within every believer, our hearts can be filled with God’s love and Christ’s endurance regardless of our external circumstances. In Christ, we have the power to love others powerfully and deeply amidst a world full of anger and hatred. In Christ, we have the power to endure every curveball, setback, obstacle, and outright attack of this present moment.
To tap into these resources, we must walk daily with God, spending time with Him in prayer and in reading His Word. We must worship Him often, think of Him often, and serve Him often. As we do, we’ll discover that His mercy, grace, and provision are new every day and His love will fill us to overflowing.