Perspective

Scripture:

I Chronicles 12:32  From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.

Psalms 9:8 He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Romans 5: 2-5 …we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Reflection:

I read a post online a few days ago that about the days in which we live. I’ll recap it below and share a reflective thought.

Imagine with me that you were born in the year 1900. When you turned 14 years old, World War I started. This was thee great war and the war to end all wars, as it was commonly labeled. The war ended when you turned 18, with over 22 million people perishing in Europe. Then, on the heals of that conflict, a global pandemic called the Spanish Flu raced around the world. 50 million more people die in those 2 and a half years as entire towns across the world are wiped out.

Then when you turn 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27% and food shortages hit every aspect of society. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. The depression continues until you are 33. Things get a little better for those in Europe and America, but if you were born in Russia under Joseph Stalin, there was another 7 – 10 million people murdered due to political cleansing. 

When you turn 39, World War Il begins. At this time of your life, you are certainly not over the hill, but by the time you hit your 40’s, the United States has been fully pulled into WWII. This war claims another 75 million people and the Holocaust kills six million Jews. When you turn 52, the Korean War begins and five million perish.

Approaching your 62nd birthday you live through the October Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could well have ended. As you turn 64, the Vietnam War begins and another four million people die of which 67,000 are U.S. service men and woman. As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. During your 75 years of life, the world has been in crisis for nearly 50 of those years. 

It is hard to imagine living your life in this kind of constant world crisis. We may face some difficult days ahead, just as every generation that has lived before us. Yet in uncertain times, we know God’s promise is certain, that where sin abounds, God’s wonderful grace becomes more abundant. For the grace of God has been revealed to us in Jesus, bringing salvation to all people, even in the midst of the storms. 

Maybe our response can be like the 200 leaders of the tribe of Issachar. They understood the signs of the times and knew the best course of action to take. A life that has gained a broader perspective from the lens of previous generations and is informed through God’s word, produces a strength that allows us to live productive and hopeful lives living in God’s grace even in the midst of difficult days.

So grateful we have a solid rock in which we can turn!

David