What in the world is going on? Sometimes it feels like the world is spiraling out of control but take heart, God has told us the end from the beginning. He never wanted us to be in the dark about what is happening in the world, so He told us, and He told us not to scare us, but to prepare us.
How do we make sense of so many things happening at once? Instead of looking at social media or listening to pundits, I’d like to encourage all of us to dig deeper into God’s Word so when the news headlines scream at us that the world is falling apart, we’ll remember Jesus’ words in Luke 21:28 when He says, “Now when these things begin to take place, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.” Jesus told us that one thing after another would be happening in the time prior to His return, but He didn’t say “be afraid, be very afraid.” He said, “lift up your heads. Look up.” Those are reassuring words for all those who are in Christ. Things are looking up! As moms or grandmothers, we need to teach the Word to our kids and grandkids, so the news won’t scare them, but they’ll understand it in light of scripture. We need to know that God said these things would happen in the time prior to Christ’s return.
The Word and the Author of the Word should be so engrained in us that our first reaction isn’t to fear or wring our hands in anxiety when the next big event happens, but to know the Bible says that perilous times will come, but God is our ever present help in time of need. The Word should be such a lamp to our feet that we recognize false teachers who teach what Paul calls another Jesus and a different gospel and different spirit. Jesus didn’t suggest but actually issued a warning to His followers when He said, “Watch out that no one deceives you.” These false teachers come in many forms: pastors, priests, authors, bloggers, speakers, podcasters, etc., and they never look or sound crazy. Paul said they have the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. Avoid them? But their message is appealing and safe—God is loving and kind. However, they won’t mention sin or say that God gets angry at sin or that the Bible says that sin brings on the wrath of God. Their goal is to simply know about God. Our goal should not be to just know about God, but to know Him. That can only happen when we know His Word, not just parts of it. God is calling this generation of moms to dig deep into His Word and to press deeper into Him.
The times we are living in are strange to say the least, but God doesn’t want us to be afraid. He wants us to know that things aren’t spiraling downward but are actually looking up to Christ’s return!
Donna VanLiere is the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Secret, and The Good Dream, among others, with six titles made into television movies. She’s the host of the limited podcast series, Things Are Looking Up, about exciting things our generation is seeing that previous generations didn’t. She travels as a speaker/teacher and her recent book is The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, available in all formats.
