In this world you will have trouble.

We are told that the world is unraveling. We are told that the economy is unstable; diseases are without cure, depression and anxiety more prevalent than ever before. We are told that there is no guarantee of safety, no guarantee of provision, no guarantee that a new disaster won’t befall us when the new day dawns.

We are told all of these things from the media sources that speak into our homes… in the plots of our ‘entertainment’… we can overhear the conversations in restaurants and grocery stores… in our twitter feed… on Facebook. We hear the endless sounds of despair and the incessant arguments of political solutions that bring no peace and no optimism. I’m sure that you could add more to the list I made, more worry-planting seeds you’ve heard… and these seeds fall easy into the soil of our broken hearts.

Are the problems real? Yes. And yet this is not the entire truth… because, contrary to what it may seem, the problems are not ~ and never will they be ~ the end of the story. They are not the whole story. Here’s what is left out of the conversation:

We have a Savior and this is what He says about our earth so undone -

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus Christ is the same today as He was on the day that this world was spoken into existence. (Hebrews 13:8) He is the same today as He was on the day that saw a sea parted for a way of escape, a sun standing still for the victory to be won, three hundred men defeating an army with nothing but jars to break, torches to light, and trumpets to sound. He is the same today as He was when one stone knocked a giant to the ground, when the captives returned from exile, when the wall was rebuilt no matter the obstacles that came. He is the same today as when one lunch became a feast for thousands, when Lazarus walked from death into life, when the mute and the lame were suddenly shouting and leaping. He is the same today as when He spoke peace to the storm, opened blinded eyes, and He is the same today as when He rose from His grave and ascended in power and glory to the right hand of the Father.

What I am trying to say is this: no matter how many times this world turns, no matter how sin destroys and divides, no matter how much power the enemy thinks is in his hands ~ there is one King of kings and He is in control. He has always been the Author of this story ~He began it, He unfolds it, and the ending is His and His alone.

Christie Lambert - guest blogger