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Even in these days of worldwide upheaval, Christ who sits on the throne of glory is "upholding all things by the word of His power." None of the events we see around us take Him by surprise. They are all part of His plan.
The unfolding of the third decade of the 21st century is amply demonstrating that we live in a world of chaos because of the curse of sin. The great and the small of this earth make their plans, for evil or for good. Evil is spreading at breathtaking speed. In our own lives, our families, and our churches we base our plans on assumptions that may or may not prove correct, because we cannot predict or control the future.
Indeed, by human calculations, the future seems completely out of control. Who would have thought, at the beginning of 2020, that much of the public worship of God in America and the rest of the world would be shut down because of a virus? Who would have thought that Marxist-inspired, seditious violence would break out in many American cities and in other parts of the world? Who would have thought that the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision by the United States Supreme Court would lead to the passage of a constitutional guarantee of a woman's so-called "right" to murder her unborn child in a state like Ohio, where the measure was approved by 57% of the voters?
I remember another chaotic year when I was still in high school, 1968: An American president surprised the world by choosing not to seek re-election, two major political figures were assassinated, riots raged in most major cities, and the presidential election was a cliff-hanger - all against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Shortly before this, Britain, once one of the cradles of the Reformation, had legalized abortion, abolished capital punishment, decriminalized sodomy, and instituted a so-called "no fault" divorce law that made Biblical marriage the exception rather than the norm. Think of it: These things happened sixty years ago. They are not new.
Further back in the 20th century Christians witnessed the world plunged into the chaos of two world wars, resulting in over 70 million military and civilian deaths. They also saw the rise of godless Communism enslaving most of Eastern Europe and Asia, slaughtering another 90 to 100 million people and seemingly obliterating Christianity in those nations.
Very few Christians thought in advance that any of these things could or would take place. Finite human minds could hardly imagine such chaos, and few could truly understand the immediate, much less the long-term, causes of these unspeakable upheavals.
But we have a Savior who knows no such limitations. He knows the end from the beginning. No one controls Him. Nothing surprises Him. He is on the throne of glory having declared, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). "He is before all things, and in Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17). Jesus is the One who is "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3). The triune God is unfolding a vast plan for the ages that the Godhead settled in every detail before the foundation of the world. God's "counsel shall stand." Christ will "bring many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10) without fail - even out of the crucible of chaos and world upheaval.
God reminds us that He is using what often appear to sinful humanity to be small, insignificant, and even nonexistent things to bring His purpose to its glorious conclusion - people, things, and events that we find nowhere in the sensational, fear-mongering news headlines of our time:
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption - that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Dear Christian friend, as you face upheaval and uncertainty, wherever you may be, take comfort and encouragement from the mighty power of our all-wise, all-knowing God and Savior. He will see you through.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:6-9)
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9:9-10)
As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. (Psalm 18:30)
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
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