These Present Darkness
These last seven days have been difficult. Not for any one thing to put a finger on. I’m reminded of, I believe it was the first Star Wars movie. At one point Obe Wan Kenobe has been found and I’m not sure at what point the bad star ship vaporizes a planet. Obe Wan comments on the troubling in his spirit when this occurs.
There is a song in our hymn books titled “Troublesome Times Are Here”.
What we must remember is—this song was written many years ago and could have been written in many millennial years ago. In short, troublesome times have come and gone throughout the centuries, yet humanity continues.
Often we believe the times we live in are the worst…
“Matthew 24:
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
In times like these… take heed and let no man deceive you. Do we hear of wars? Do we hear of nation rising against nation? Kingdom against kingdom… famines pestilence, and earthquakes? These have taken place for centuries and yet the ages still roll.
What is a servant of God and Jesus supposed to take away from times like these? First of all, remember we are servants. A servant serves. We need to leave the unshared things in God’s hands. We have a family joke about why God didn’t make woman first—He didn’t want advice.
“Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” We serve where our Lord puts us, and not everyone is given the minute details.
Control. Take heed, God is in control and as the book of Revelation shows us, we don’t need to understand all the nuances of everything written in the scriptures for the culmination of those things to come to pass. In other words, whether we understand the times that God holds in his hands, it doesn’t rest in our hands to bring it to pass.
Peace. We can have peace in this present world no matter the times we live in. We are given our sphere to hold, and standing for truth and righteousness is where we must be.
Take heed, Jesus never told his followers when he would return, we are supposed to be busy about the Father’s work. “Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”
Take heed that we don’t take upon ourselves those things which belong to the Father. As it says in “Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Don’t become entangled in matters that won’t make any difference. Stand where you are until the Lord comes, or you are relieved of duty.
“Matthew 24:
48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
49 and shall begin to beat his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
50 the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
51 and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Carol Hood
They’ve sing such a beautiful song. They always have done such a beautiful way of singing, like always. May our Lord continue to richly bless them, they are wonderful to say tge least.