“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.”
– Psalm 57:1

As the violence of war intensifies in cities, non-combatants find themselves increasingly in grave danger. Amongst your prayers, remember those huddled in basements, taking shelter in subway stations, leaving everything behind to flee to foreign lands, or with nowhere to go and no way to leave. Hospital patients, the aged, ordinary families, orphans. People with hopes and dreams. People made in God’s image. People no different from you or your neighbors who have been suddenly and unexpectedly caught up in war.

Fortunately, God is real, He is powerful, He is in control. Turn this verse into an ongoing prayer for Almighty God to shelter, comfort, and protect these huddled masses from the fury and destruction of war.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
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And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:6-8,14

Today, our year-long journey through the Bible brings us to these timely words of Jesus. War will continue to be a part of this sinful, fallen world until Christ returns to triumph over every opponent. As the people of God, we must pray and work for peace but shouldn’t be surprised when war comes.

Indeed, we should understand that things will become worse (far worse) in this world before they become better. Violence, warfare, and disaster are but the beginning. They are the pain that precedes the joy of Christ’s return. What we’re witnessing now isn’t the end, because God’s plan to redeem for Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation isn’t yet complete.

Rather than be paralyzed by the news of yet another terrible turn of events in these tumultuous times, we must be energized to do the work assigned to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom. We must preach Christ crucified and resurrected far and wide – in our neighborhoods and to all nations. We have important work to do before the end. Let us be found faithful!

“But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’” – Numbers 13:30

We get so easily distracted and discouraged by the things in the world that seem so much bigger than us! Pandemics…war…chaos…division…. These things are truly terrible, but we can’t let them distract us from the work prepared for us by God.

The people of Israel were given a task – follow God into the promised land. However, when their spies reported all the obstacles that were bigger than them – the cities…the fortifications…the people… – that report froze the people of God in their tracks. Given a task and the promise that God would accomplish it, the people refused to move. They were distracted and defeated by the difficulties that loomed so large.

However, they forgot how much bigger God is than any earthly obstacle! They failed to understand that no matter how strong the fortifications or how fierce the resistance, God would make His people succeed in His work. Out of all the leaders who’d seen the distractions and dangers with their own eyes, only Caleb and Joshua had the faith to trust and follow God in the task He’d given them. For this, they were blessed and the rest of the nation cursed.

We too have a task. Make disciples of Jesus Christ by going, baptizing, and teaching (Matthew 28:18-20). Yes, there are difficulties, dangers, and distractions that can easily paralyze us in these Turbulent ‘20s. Yes, they’re bigger than anything we can handle ourselves. However, we don’t go alone and we don’t face them in our own strength. Jesus Christ, Who has all authority in heaven and on earth is with us always! Don’t get distracted by the news – just do the work God’s called you to do!

“Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” – Romans 4:25

Our justification – our right standing before Holy God – is thoroughly grounded in the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus had remained dead after sacrificing Himself for our sins, then we’d still be dead in our sins. Thankfully, Jesus is alive! He is gloriously, wondrously alive, currently ruling and reigning over the universe from heaven!

Jesus rose from the dead – physically resurrected. He visited His disciples on many occasions. They touched Him. He ate with them. He appeared to His skeptical brothers. He appeared to hundreds of witnesses who could have denied the experience. Instead, they devoted the rest of their lives to telling people that Jesus was alive. They chose to live lives filled with long hardship, constant opposition, great suffering, and untimely death. Why?

Because Jesus is alive! Because He’s alive, we know that His sacrifice for our trespasses was accepted by God. Christ’s work on the cross is utterly sufficient to pay the penalty for all our sins past, present, and future. Because Jesus was resurrected, when we believe in Him, we are justified by faith in Christ as a gift from our gracious and loving Father in Heaven. Rejoice!

“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” – Romans 3:28

To be justified means to be declared legally “Not Guilty” by a judge, in this case, God. We will never, ever be “not guilty” by virtue of doing good things and following countless rules. God knows everything, sees everything, and hears everything. God knows we aren’t perfect, can’t be perfect, and therefore can’t ever be “not guilty” by our own best efforts. Rule following, good behavior, self-discipline, and philanthropy will never be enough to make someone who is imperfect perfect.

However, God in His grace and mercy allowed someone else to pay the penalty for our imperfection, rebellion, and sin. Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, was and is perfect. He gave His life as a sacrifice for us, so that God’s justice could be satisfied. Jesus was perfect so we don’t have to be. Instead, we must simply believe in Him. When we believe in Christ’s atoning death and resurrection and confess His Lordship over our life, then God does declare us “not guilty”. In Christ, the perfect judge has declared you to be “not guilty”. If Christ is your Savior, you no longer carry guilt in God’s eyes.

We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus. He’s perfect so we don’t have to be. It’s only on this basis that God can justly declare us “not guilty” though He knows we’re guilty. It’s on this basis that we’re made new through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s on this basis that Christ unites Himself with us and God’s Spirit lives within us, empowering us to pursue the perfection of Christ throughout our lives.