Week Seventeen - What in the World Can We Do?

Sometimes, we feel like giving up when we listen to the news. We may feel powerless to guide our communities or positively influence what is happening around us. We witness things changing before our eyes that we never imagined would be accepted by society. 

We may think that the world is becoming worse than it has ever been, but if we read our Bible, we will find that the world has always been as evil as it is now. The flood is an example of that, and so is Israel's history, as well as the rise and fall of different cultures documented in our history books. The availability of today's media means that we are more aware of the global problem of evil. 

So, what did the faithful do when faced with blatant evil in the Old Testament, the Roman Empire, the Reformation, and other eras? They remained faithful and did five things continuously, which we can still do in our era.

1) They continually sought the Lord. 1 Chronicles 16:11 reads, "Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually."It is important to remain faithful to God and stay connected with His church. Always keep yourself engaged with the Bible and make sure that you are surrounded by God's love (Jude 21). The more we seek Him, the more we will be able to see Him. Therefore, it is essential to keep our eyes focused on the Lord and not let fear take over.

2) They continued to praise God. Psalm 34:1 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 40:10 reads, "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified."

There is such a supernatural power in praise. According to Isaiah 6:13, we should put on the garment of praise to combat the spirit of heaviness. Praise lifts us to hope. As we seek the Lord, praise brings us thankfulness and comfort. It allows us to look beyond today's problems to the future, a future securely in God's hands. He has already won the battle over evil, so praise Him for this truth.

3) They continued to pray. Scripture teaches us to pray in faith, to come boldly before the throne, and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When you examine the prayers of the Bible, you find many recorded during times of great evil, as the faithful knelt before the Lord, pleading for protection and deliverance, and God heard and answered their prayers. The book of Revelation tells us that the prayers of God's people are a sweet incense rising to heaven. These prayers act as a catalyst for final justice, and that's why our prayers are so powerful.

4) They continued to wait. And here is the clincher. We might seek the Lord, find praise in our hearts, and keep ourselves before Him in prayer, but do we understand the instruction to wait? Hosea 12:6 says, "Turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually." We don't know the future, but we do know our God. His promise is, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faith (Isaiah 40:31). Waiting indicates trust and the blessings of waiting are apparent. Waiting indicates we believe God will answer. It gives us time to pray and allows the Spirit to do His work in our hearts. It shows our reliance upon God and demonstrates spiritual wisdom that keeps us from undue trouble or running ahead of god. Waiting reveals our faith in God and shows we look to Him and no one else.

5) They continued to hope. Psalm 71:14 reads, "I will hope continually and will yet praise thee more and more." We serve a God of the impossible. He knows everything and has everything under His control. We can never go wrong placing our hope in Him, for with Him, all things are possible. Instead of trying to figure things out ourselves, we will find greater joy and more praise by placing our hope solely in His wisdom and everlasting love.

This old world is tumbling to its end. We know that to be true. So, what in the world can we do? We can remain faithful, keep ourselves before the Lord with praise and prayer, and wait upon Him to do all things according to the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:11). We needn't feel desperate or forsaken, for we are not! We have hope. When you read the end of the story, you see that the prayers of the saints are answered. God will make all things right.