There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, and it can be hard not to get pulled into that.
I’ve been wondering what helps people hold onto hope without ignoring reality.
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its when i cry with literal tears out to God that clarity comes best. i just have this innate belief that He cares and that he loves an earnest broken soul relying on him. when your faith is really tested, and uncertainty is at its height, if you end up leaning into Him, at least for me, in absolute brokenness, i just trust at the end of such crying that He will make the best of my feelings in time, and that helps me in the moment. so often, i instead am relying on the fact that i dont have acne this week, my bills are paid with a few dollars leftover, and my daughter is having a happy day; i can forget/ignore painful realities when the earthly goods outweigh the bad. when im at my lowest, i remember how much i really am not a decent human being, failing so much, and at the bottom of that barrel, im reminded again through my tears that He sees me in that and that despite all uncertainty, all will be made clear in time. i look forward to heaven too, which helps. not suicidal way, but just knowing it will be here before i know it, with all knowledge then accessible to me like never before, well, it doesnt matter anymore about the negativity and uncertainty, for a time. gets my head straight.
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GIGO – an ancient cliche among computer programmers. Garbage in, garbage out.
Things may feel uncertain, but if your theology is sound, you are more likely to face the future with confidence than with apprehension. As the ArmEnian Calvinist wrote,
“We who are people of the resurrection, must live in the joy and confidence of victory. This is our destiny, victory. Life is rarely easy, but, with Christ our King, it is always good. We are generally in a battle, because the enemies are many, and the forces of evil real, but our victory has been assured and manifested by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” ~ R. J. Rushdoony
Bear in mind that the most powerful enemies of our joy and confidence in the Lord have also captured the mainstream evangelical culture with their “gospel” of assured defeat within history. Scofield and his camp followers have persuaded too many dear saints that God’s plan includes taking a dive, throwing in the towel, and letting the other team grab all the marbles as the world implodes into chaos. My goodness, they actually tell us that “all power in heaven and on earth” just ain’t quite enough power to fill the earth with the glory of God and domesticate feral nations. If you summon men to battle by first conceding the war, no wonder folks wander, uncertain and fearful!
People are desperate for hope, for practical solutions to real-world problems. Since faithful Christians are silent about such things, the voices of the left’s sock puppets seem louder.
The mainstream Evangelical press (a.k.a. “the Wheaton mafia”) was glad to channel HALF of R J Rushdoony’s scholarship, the religious nature of secular humanism, a term he coined. However, this “channeling” was through accomplished plagiarist Francis Schaeffer, who covered his tracks and stonewalled regarding the source of his most powerful insights. Schaeffer kowtowed to the demands of the Wheaton mafia, perhaps in order to get his books into print, and apparently denied knowing his classmate and friend.
The other half of Rushdoony’s message, the Biblical SOLUTIONS to the issues of the day, got suppressed, blacked out, embargoed. I think the ArmEnian Calvinist nailed the motive for this denial of so much of God’s Word:
The fear of victory is not unusual. Doctors are plagued with healthy people with imaginary ailments; … They fear health, because it brings them face-to-face with their responsibilities as men and women. In one way or another, countless people cripple themselves either physically or spiritually to avoid meeting life victoriously. The responsibilities of success and victory are avoided by many.
(Chariots of Prophetic Fire. p. 160. Ross House Books. 2003)
It’s a bit mendacious to whine about real-world problems while resolutely renouncing and rejecting God’s real-world solutions.