“It’s Going to Get Harder . . . .”
On September 11, 2001 the world changed dramatically within the course of hours. The twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed in billowing dust clouds, obliterating the lives of thousands. The Pentagon was staggered as a third airliner crashed through concrete walls. Within hours, a fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania as passengers sought to wrest control from the hijackers. We watched in stunned horror as the media endlessly looped replays.
The shock waves of those terrorist attacks reverberated for weeks. Churches saw record attendance as people sought consolation amidst grief and uncertainty. Americans united, contributing millions of dollars and volunteering countless hours to help the hurting.
The skies once again were laced with contrails as individuals overcame the fear of flying and boarded jetliners. Sports stadiums drew crowds as people resumed the routines of life, scarred but no longer scared. The spiritual renaissance that briefly bloomed soon faded. Life resumed.
Fast forward to 2020. News of a novel coronavirus, traced to China’s Wuhan Province, really began impacting the world in February. The contagion spread to the Middle East, Europe, and elsewhere. As nursing home residents in Washington State succumbed to COVID-19, the distant threat became a present reality to Americans.
The bad news seemed to compound daily. In contrast to the 9-11 horror in which the back-to-back reports of attacks ended within hours, the COVID-19 concerns more resembled a fast-rising river than a sudden tsunami. Early assurances of leadership began to take on more urgency.
Panic has a way of multiplying exponentially. Stock markets plunged, store shelves were stripped of essential goods within hours, schools closed for an indeterminate time, social gatherings (including church services) are halted for the foreseeable future. Conferences and sporting events canceled. Each day new guidelines are being issued by federal and state governments as the race to contain the pandemic takes center stage.
“How will this all end – and when?” is a question without a certain answer.
“How do we maintain a proper perspective when life is disrupted?” is a question we need to answer.
The Book of Job relates how one man dealt with a series of devastating blows, including the deaths of his children, the destruction of his property, and serious physical affliction. His response to his heavy losses is remarkable:
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 He said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God [Job 1:20-22].
Which do you find more incredible – that in the midst of tremendous loss and heartfelt grief Job didn’t blame God, or that he continued to bow in worship? Neither are a natural response when disaster strikes.
I’m struck by the description of Job as the story begins. “Have you beheld my righteous servant, Job?” God asks Satan.
I was also struck by how closely the description of the righteous in Psalm 112 parallels God’s assessment of Job.
1 Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
God has great blessings in store for the righteous! That’s Job’s situation when we first meet him.
But the righteous are not exempt from trials, tribulations, and testing.
4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;
He will maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be remembered forever.
7 He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is upheld, he will not fear,
Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
In these verses the righteous encounters dark times. He is being taken to court (judgment), hears evil reports, and has real enemies. But he is unshaken, unafraid, steadfast, and upheld.
At Life in Messiah, we have said for some time, “It’s going to get harder – but it does get better.” The difficulties our staff face around the world run the gamut from fiscal pressures to physical illness to relational challenges to spiritual opposition. Presently everyone is affected in some way by COVID-19.
No one predicted the spiraling ramifications of this virus. But it doesn’t take a prophet to see a world fast-ripening for judgment.
The Lord Jesus spoke of the “beginning of birthpangs,” then assured His disciples “but the end is not yet.” How close we are to the Savior’s return only the Father knows. But for sure we may expect “It’s going to get harder.”
The “but it’s going to get better” part of that formulation is contingent. It doesn’t imply that the difficulties will disappear or the darkness will vanish. Rather:
“Light arises for the upright” (Psalm 112:5).
God proves Himself to be “an ever-present help in time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1), accompanying us when we pass through the waters (Isaiah 43:2), and even the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).
God’s grace proves sufficient when we lack resources; His strength is perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
On the wall in my boyhood bedroom was a picture of a young man at the helm of a ship on a storm-tossed sea. The lad is resolutely facing forward, the wheel firmly in his grasp. The reason no fear is reflected in his face is that immediately behind him is the figure of the Lord Jesus. With one hand on the youth’s shoulder and the other outstretched pointing the direction in which to sail, the Savior provides all that is needed to calm the pilot amidst the raging waves.
“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).
Cheer up! It’s going to get harder! But as we trust in the Lord, it does get better. And we have the opportunity to demonstrate the difference His presence makes in the midst of life’s storms.
Artwork by Warner Sallman: CHRIST OUR PILOT
Written by Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
Glass half full or half empty? Positive optimist or perpetual pessimist? Things are looking up or it’s all downhill from here?
Regardless of your natural propensities or personality, how quickly do you acknowledge your dependence on the Lord when “tough stuff” happens?
Can you take time to worship the Lord and thank Him for His guidance, protection, and provision today – even amidst adverse circumstances?