Think on These Things

 We may all have those people in our lives who have their TV's locked onto the mainline news channels which are sending out their constant messages about the corona virus, updates on case numbers and deaths, spreading dread and fear, reporting on restrictions and lifting of restrictions.  How many countless conversations have we all been involved in over the last year and a half about exactly these topics?  No one could possibly guess.

We may also have the ones in our circles who get their news from newsmax or rumble and are also living in fear because of warnings from doctors of every stripe, microbiologists, virologists, research scientists, pharmacists, holistic practitioners and experts in all kinds of fields warning about immediate and long-term effects of the vaccines that have been so recently developed, about governmental controls, globalist agendas, about projected steep price hikes and shortages of many of our essentials and the need to stock up on basics now, etc.

To all of you, may I just once more encourage you with some words from the Book of books?  I will again take the liberty of injecting some of my own thoughts here and there and adding italics or capital letters, or whatever, and wandering between the Modern English version and the Passion translation at will.

Psalm 94:17-23:  I would have been killed so many times if You had not been there for me.  When I screamed out, "Lord, I'm doomed!" Your fiery love was stirred and You raced to my rescue.  Whenever my busy thoughts were out of control, the soothing comfort of Your presence calmed me down and overwhelmed me with delight.  It's obvious to all; You will have nothing to do with corrupt rulers who pass laws that empower evil and defeat what is right.  For they gang up against the lovers of righteousness and condemn the innocent to death.  But I know that all their evil plans will boomerang back onto them.  Every plot they hatch will simply seal their own doom.  (Remember Haman.)  For You, my God, will destroy them, giving them what they deserve.  For You are my true tower of strength, my safe place, my hideout, and my true shelter.  

Psalm 37:1-9  Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be jealous of those who do injustice.  For they will quickly wither like the grass, and fade like the green herbs.  Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land, and practice faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  (If you delight yourself in the Lord, the desires of your heart will be aligned with His word and His will.)  Commit your ways to the Lord; trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday.  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of those who prosper in their way, because of those who make wicked schemes.  Let go of anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret - it surely leads to evil deeds.  For evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the earth.

The repeated instruction not to fret lines up with Matthew 6:25-33 where Jesus teaches us not to worry about our food, our clothing, etc.  "For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be given to you.  Therefore, take no thought (or don't worry) about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take thought (worry) about the things of itself.  Sufficient to the day is the trouble thereof."

John 14:1, words which the Lord spoke to His disciples on the very same evening when they were about to experience the worst outcomes they could ever have imagined:  "Don't let your heart be troubled.  (It is our responsibility not to fret, not to worry, and not to let our hearts be troubled.)  You believe in God; believe also in me."  The Passion Translation puts it this way:  "Don't worry or surrender to your fear.  For you've believed in God, now trust and believe in me also."  And verse 27:  "I leave the gift of peace with you - MY peace.  Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but MY perfect peace."  And then at the end of the same conversation, Jesus says, "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation (and it was about to begin for the disciples in just a matter of hours.)  But be of good cheer (yes, He said 'cheer'!)  I have overcome the world."

So God's prescription for this malady of fear and anxiety we are seeing all around us is not to fret and worry, but trust in the Lord, be of good cheer.  Actually, in order to manage this, I need to bring us back to Philippians 4 where Paul while imprisoned gives us his instructions regarding all this.   Verse 4:  "Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!"  Verses 6-8:  "Don't be worried about a thing.  Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.  Tell Him every detail of your life.  Then God's wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.  Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.  And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always."

I'm going to tack on an old song of Janny Grein's that is not directly related to the topic today, but brings reassurance whenever I listen to it and helps me not to fret.  It's called "I Always Will Love You."

I always will love you.  I always will care.

I never will leave you.  I will always be there.

I always will want you.  I always will be.

I never will fail you.  I am all you need.

     My love will carry you, higher than the strongest bird can fly,

     Further that the longest river can flow.  My love for you I want you to know.