Yesterday I watched a few minutes of the Today Show and the hosts and their guest were talking about all the horrible things going on in the world today. They weren’t talking specifics, but big picture – people unhappy with the current political environment, war and threats of war, etc. And I agree, there is a lot of unrest. There are people who think Trump will destroy America and possibly the world. There were people who thought the same thing about Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan . . . and I bet there were people who thought the same about Nixon, Lincoln, Truman, Roosevelt, etc.
Unfortunately, there has always been war, murder, incest, racism, rape and hate. Around the world there are good leaders and bad leaders. There is peace and there is war. There is love and there is hate. Nowhere is perfect.
Today in my Bible reading plan it was pretty depressing reading about horrible things that happened thousands of years ago. In Judges 18-19 I read about:
- The complete destruction of a peaceful city
- A priest “taking” a concubine, who was then unfaithful to him
- The men of a city banging on the door of a house where the priest was staying, asking the owner of the house to send the priest out so they could have sex with him
- The owner of the house instead offering his virgin daughter and the concubine for the men to “use them and do to them whatever you wish” in order to protect the priest from rape
- The rape and abuse of the concubine
- The priest then cutting up the woman into 12 pieces and sending her limbs to each of the tribes of Israel
Gruesome stuff. I’ve read it before but it still makes me feel sick to my stomach.
But then my reading plan took me to Psalm, where the Psalmist wrote (Psalm 49)
- Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me
- No one can redeem the life of another
- But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself
We live in a fallen world. There is sin and evil all around us; but our hope isn’t in this world or its leaders. I can’t change the world, but with God’s grace, I can change myself. I can impact my children and husband. I can make a difference, for the better, in the lives of the people around me.
Are we living in tough times? Yes, some of us are. Is there hope for the future? Yes, especially a future in heaven with Jesus. Can I have peace in the present? Yes, by continually reminding myself that God is in control and focusing on fixing myself and letting God take care of the rest.
Becoming Mary 