Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Scary Things in Scary Places

If I were some kind of song writer, I might have a catchy tune to go with that title. Although we should be wary of studying the occult too much, reading about scary things in scary places does not change who God is and the fact of His Almighty-ness. God is sovereign even when we are caught looking aside from the narrow path to gaze upon something frightening. A good mystery novel may make my hair stand on end, but God is still the Lord of Heaven and Earth. A sudden noise in the night, real or imagined, may cause me to grab for the flashlight and my glasses, but God sees all and is not in the least bit alarmed. Perhaps you have few fears in life, but I seem to fight many every day. Like poor Charlie Brown it seems to be my natural state. Fortunately for me, my God is the Almighty Sovereign LORD.

Most fears that we face come from looking at a lack of control or weakness on our part. We strive to control all that we can in order to quell the fear. However, since much fear is based on imagined futures that we no control over (and are in fact highly unlikely), where do we turn for comfort? God gave us a message on that subject:

Behold, the former things have come to pass,
​​And new things I declare;
​​Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9)

Hmm, this would lead me to believe that the future is under God's control. Those things I imagine? Not a prophecy but lies of the devil. The most frightening prophecies of the future are found in the Revelation. Yet, the fact they are written down beforehand speak to God's knowledge of them. The manner in which the tribulations come also tells of sovereign control. Seals are opened by the One found worthy: the Lamb of God. Trumpets are played skillfully by the angels assigned to that task, and the seven vials show us measured judgments carefully poured out. Scary things exist in scary places, but we must look at our Lord Jesus in prayer.

Have a fearless day in Christ!
Bucky

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