“In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm”

I treasure that hymn and often hum it throughout the day. Sometimes I hum it to worship the Lord. Other times I hum it to try to calm my heart and slow my mind down. The Weepies seem right, that the world spins madly on. Too often I feel as though life is passing me by. I can’t catch up. Globally, things seem to be spiraling out of control. I hear of wars and rumors of wars. Earthquakes, famines. Political divisiveness, economic woes, seemingly ubiquitous immorality. It’s enough to put fear in the heart and mind of a guy even as big and burly as myself.

Ungodly fear can be a stumbling block. A foothold for Satan to grab hold. The weightiness of worldly troubles can make it seem as though we can’t move. But maybe it’s not the weightiness that prevents us from moving. Maybe it is the snare of the fowler that renders us immobile. And when we sense we are sinking in this quicksand of perilous pestilence, it would serve us well not to fight to get out of its grip in and of our own strength. Our own courage and self determination won’t be enough. Godly courage and determination are rooted in humility and in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 1 John 4:18 doesn’t say our bravery conquers fear. It says that perfect love casts out all fear. The fountain of this perfect love is Christ.

The Bible is replete with promises of the life to come. There will be no injustice, no pain, no poverty, no more malnourished kids to bury in the ground. We long for that day to come. But there is a gap between the Ascension and His 2nd coming. We are stuck in that gap. Rather, I should say that God, in his sovereignty, placed us here for such a time as this. We have work to do. If we were left to ourselves, this would be overwhelming, scary, daunting thought. However, we are not left to ourselves. Colossians 3 says regarding those of us who believe, that we are hidden in Christ. In Psalm 139, David paints a beautiful image in writing, “You hem me in, behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” Seems like a pretty safe place to be, covered in all directions by the Alpha and the Omega, the creator and sustainer of all things.

So remember, when adversity, affliction, or trial come our way personally, we can find comfort because he will never leave us or forsake us. When worldly foundations such as political entities, intellectual institutions and economic hubs appear to be hallowed out and unable to support us, where will we set our feet expect on the rock, who is Christ Jesus our Lord. When we sense our nation/ world is collapsing morally, politically, or economically, we can take refuge under his wings. His wings stretch pretty far. In fact, if we’d look up, we’d probably see we are already under them.

We can also find great hope in the last verse of that hymn I so often hum,

“No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”