Subtitle: And From Where Do You Draw Your Peace?
I wish to share two blog articles I wrote, roughly a year apart from each other. One addressed the Ebola scare in the fall of 2014, while the other one was looking down the pipe at world events, tell-tale signs of what we are now seeing on the world stage, etc. I did not know in October 2013 what we’d be witnessing now, but the image being shared from a page on Facebook today was enough to bring both of these articles back to mind.
There is much to be afraid of these days.
- Food scares, or should I say food product scares are a regular occurence now and if you obeyed every warning you heard, you might starve to death!
- Agricultural scares have people more concerned than ever with where their food comes from, which in itself isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but is causing problems in some regions of the world already.
- Climate scares have become easy prey for manipulation of the masses by media and government alike on a global scale. Some climate scares are very real, while others are hotly contested as to any validity they might possess.
- Economic scares have had people jumping out of windows to their deaths at least twice in my own lifetime, once in 2008 and earlier in the late 80’s. Rumours of economic collapses are flying around more often these days, especially in light of this coming fall being what the Jewish people refer to as the start of their Year of Jubilee. Anyone who has heavily invested in the stock market, or who has high debt, may want to rethink their strategies in the years ahead. (sometimes being poor has its advantages!)
- Then there are the political scares, and those are taking lives in a full quarter of the world’s population right now! They are very real, although some of them appear to have been orchestrated by others holding the strings. However they’ve come to pass is a moot point for those on the ground living and dieing because of them.
Scripture says that in those days, mens’ hearts will fail them for fear. Stress is at an all-time high and causing health issues all over the so-called civilized world. Combined with damaging ingredients in much of the so-called civilized world’s food supply, and the stress factor is being multiplied by many degrees! Media saturation isn’t helping and the idea of coming away for quiet time is more advantageous now for the Follower of Christ than ever before!
I and others I know have discovered that engaging in that quiet time doesn’t merely benefit the spirit, mind or emotions of the person choosing to meet God alone for a while. That time also helps the body de-stress so it operates closer to how God designed it to operate. That time of refreshing truly affects every single part of you and God knows we need it! He wants to meet with us every single day if we will let Him, in a deliberate moment in your day planner if necessary. That quiet time serves to strengthen your bond with your Heavenly Bridegroom; strengthen your bond with your Heavenly Father; allow God to speak into your life from His Word; offer conversation between the two of you during your prayer time (it is a two-way street, right? You don’t do all the talking then walk off???); present time to just “be” in each other’s presence, allowing God to hold you close for a while; and offers rest and healing for your body, soul, mind, and spirit. There are many very real reasons why you will come away from heart-felt, honestly-engaged quiet time with God feeling refreshed and ready to take on your day!
There is a verse of a song before we get to the links being shared today, that comes to mind: “For the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace” from the song, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. You can listen to this song here from my Pinterest board: Songs that Impact Me:
After, or perhaps while you listen to that song, read the following two blog posts. Let us remember to fix our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
Fear or Focus, Faith or Fright. How you answer defines your destiny. Written October 3rd, 2014
