Lord God, we repent of disregarding the elderly and violating Your command to honor our father and mother. 

We repent because of what it means on the human scale to devalue the wisdom and sacrifice of prior generations, and also as a reflection of disregard for You as our Father, and Jesus’ sacrifice which was necessary to redeem us from sin. 

Forgive us for considering as primary the utility of the elderly to society and not considering the Image in which they were made. Help us to love and serve them while You give them the breath of life and to see end of life issues as You do. May we witness Your goodness to them, Your grace which saves them and heals them, and to cherish them while there is yet life. 

We repent, Lord, of failing to do these things.

Hear our cry, O Lord.  Be merciful to us for You are a God of mercy.  Amen.

We will return to Good News Worth Sharing
after this interlude of national confession and repentance.
God laid this upon my heart for a world in desperate need of repentance.
Like the Israelites of Nehemiah’s day, we must return to God,
confess our sins both individual and community,
and be willing to fall upon His mercy because He is a merciful God.

Lord, we repent of devaluing life.  We have selfishly looked to our own interests and have ignored the humanity and Image-bearing of others—a treasure to be guarded for our fellow man.  We’ve turned our backs on children…those in the womb, as if their lives were throwaways because we didn’t want them.  We failed to love them and protect them. In the home, we’ve considered worldly goods of greater value than our own flesh and blood, investing ourselves more in jobs for earthly possessions than in the forming of the next generation.  Sadly, the image it bears is our cold materialism.  In the world, we’ve failed to stop the trafficking of children and pretend that it doesn’t happen in our circles.  We repent of this evil, Lord.  Be merciful to us for You are a God of mercy.  Amen.

We will return to Good News Worth Sharing
after this interlude of national confession and repentance.
God laid this upon my heart for a world in desperate need of repentance.
Like the Israelites of Nehemiah’s day, we must return to God,
confess our sins both individual and community,
and be willing to fall upon His mercy because He is a merciful God.

Lord, we remember Your actions in the creation of the United States of America.  How You gave us founding fathers who inscribed their uncommon wisdom into our Constitution, wisdom You gave to keep people in our nation free from tyranny.  You preserved us through the Revolutionary War at the cost of countless lives because those dedicated to the cause of freedom thought more about the future, trusting in eternal life with You, than about their very lives here on earth.  We thank You for their sacrifice and ask that You would receive our repentance as a living sacrifice in our day.

We repent that we have considered freedom too cheaply. 

We have forgotten the cost because many of us never had to bear any of it. 

As we stand upon the precipice of losing our freedoms as have so many other nations before us, we repent that we have not fought harder to keep what You gave us in creating us to be free people.

We repent of being willing slaves to the world instead of free men and women who love You and serve You only.

Hear our cry, O Lord.  Be merciful to us for You are a God of mercy.  Amen.

We will return to Good News Worth Sharing
after this interlude of national confession and repentance.
God laid this upon my heart for a world in desperate need of repentance.
Like the Israelites of Nehemiah’s day, we must return to God,
confess our sins both individual and community,
and be willing to fall upon His mercy because He is a merciful God.

Some people claim to want justice.  From God and man. 
Justice from man I can understand
because we’re all supposed to be equal under the law. 
It doesn’t feel that way and I’ll get to that in a moment.

There comes a time in the life of a nation when we have been complacent, sat yawning while our culture wastes away before our eyes, we’ve entertained ourselves with what we know to be wrong, we’ve shaken the hand of corruption without shame or disgust, and we have grieved the God who made us. 

Like the Israelites in Nehemiah 9, we need a national confession. 

5 “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. ” “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.  6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Verses 7-15 extoll the praises of God for His faithfulness and mercy.

Did you know the sins of the nation are made worse
because of the righteous nature of God
Who has been kind, gracious, compassionate, and merciful? 
Do we see our sin for what it is? An affront to a holy God.

Like the Israelites of Nehemiah 9,

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands.   17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.

But our God is merciful.  He did not desert them, nor has He abandoned us. 
He still guides us by His mercy and His Holy Spirit. 
In His compassion (v 28) He delivers us time after time.

31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes… 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.

We can confess our national sin knowing that our God is merciful.  That is Good News.

Lord, in Your mercy, praying Ephesians 2, please forgive us for cooperating and participating in our cultural decline, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  But because of Your great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions– it is by grace we have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Lord, thank You that Your justice was displayed on the Cross so that we might receive the gift of Your grace.  And by faith we might know the gift of God.  Thank You that we cannot earn our salvation but the wrath we have earned…it fell upon Jesus.  Thank You for Your mercy that salvation is by His precious blood and “not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Thank You that we “are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which You prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:3-10)

May we confess our sins knowing You are merciful.  Thank You, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Cling to hope in the Good News that God gives us.  One attribute of God that I find most encouraging is that God is omnipresent.  He’s always there.  Doesn’t always feel like it, but He is.

Scripture says, “Psalm 139:1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.  2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.  5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”

When we’re hard-pressed, God is there sheltering us with His presence, and He will wipe away every tear.  I’m reminded of a scene in the Israelite exodus from slavery in Egypt.  It’s recounted in Exodus 14.  When doubt and panic ensued on the part of the Israelites, Moses tried to be enough assurance, summoning his own faith. 

“Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on.’ (Exodus 14:13-15). 

Do you read Moses’ crying out to God? But God saw it. He knew it because He is both Omniscient and Omnipresent. Moses was reaching out with all he had. God increased his faith. God would now give the Israelites a profound lesson in the Omnipresence of God which Moses could not rouse the Israelites to believe in his human capacity. 

God was about to glorify Himself in the battle. Twice stated. Rock solid.

God told Moses, “16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

I love this next section.  God’s got their back.
But it may only have looked that way initially through the eyes of faith.

“19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army,
withdrew and went behind them.
The pillar of cloud also moved from in front
and stood behind them,”

To some it must have looked like God was deserting them.  He left the leadership and withdrew.  But then, the Omnipresence of God planted Himself visibly behind (for protection), spiritually in front (driving the waters apart), around (as light in the darkness), and in wisdom over them (looking down upon their enemies) to thwart disaster coming to God’s chosen people. Omnipresent!

20 Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; (Exodus 14:20)

Are you afraid that God has deserted you
or has deserted America on account of our societal sins? 
Do you wonder where God has gone?  Are you confident in His Omnipresence? 
He knows exactly where you are, where our nation is,
and the process necessary for Him to receive glory in deliverance!! 
Pray.  Believe!  He’s got this!
Be part of the great harvest of human souls by sharing the Gospel that saves eternally. 

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our living hope, for being our shelter, and for leading us to living water.  Thank You for Your omnipresence that knows and guards us when we go to sleep, and Your hand is upon us when we rise.  You know our every thought, every word that we have yet to speak, yet You hold us firmly in Your hand.  Lord, instill in us a profound faith in You that trusts You in the darkest of circumstances. You are there. That trusts You when times are good because You are there too. May we experience gratitude for all You do as our Omnipresent and Omniscient God.  Because You are with us, Lord, may we give thanks when things are uncertain because it builds our faith and helps us to see with spiritual eyes the events at this juncture of history.  Thank You, Father, that Jesus went before us at the Cross.  And His Cross stands behind us and is our very foundation as protection from death’s grip.  Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy that is around us and before us and behind us and over us.  Thank You that no one can snatch us out of Your hands, and we ask Lord that in the days to come, You will receive glory through what You alone can do.  We ask Lord for courage and boldness, to come to Your throne to ask for a miracle for our nation and for this world.  We are so desperately in need of Your intervention.  We know that You see.  We know that You know both our good deeds and our sins.  We confess our good deeds are not enough and our sins are way too numerous and horrific to hide. We know that You are righteous and holy.  We know that You will not fail to act on behalf of those who love You and have been called according to Your purpose.  We don’t know what that will look like or when You will cause it to happen, Lord, but we trust You.  We believe.  We press on in faith and give glory to You alone.  Amen.

I resist the tin foil hat.  I really do mainly because there are certain “tin foil things” that make me go “Hmmmm…”

I look at the world and agree with a few radio hosts who say, “There are no conspiracies, but there are also no coincidences.”  Just because all things line up a certain way and I notice it, doesn’t make me a candidate for the tin foil hat. 

Shouldn’t it make any discerning person pause and ask why events all line up? 
Discernment is imperative these days.

The idea that someone actually wants depopulation falls into that “Hmmmm…” category. 

But consider these cultural happenings that are depopulation-oriented: 

• COVID, a bioweapon designed to kill certain population groups? I don’t know but it looks like Death…and perhaps intended as a weapon to do that very thing.
• A pandemic killer as some want to portray it. An automatic death sentence if you get it. Which really isn’t true at all, or science, but the legend lives on. It did kill many elderly and vulnerable people which–unthinkably—hints to a purposeful sending of infected people into nursing homes or assisted living centers. Death.
• Indirect effects of COVID—lockdown suicides, opioid overdose, death by depression. How could those demanding lockdowns not see it coming? Why do they continue to push it, knowing this is happening even to teens? Seriously.
• Prophylactics/treatments like Ivermectin. Is it a killer or is it helpful? Everyone has an opinion…and it’s not “settled science” in the eyes of all physicians, so many refuse to prescribe it. Resulting in…you’ve guessed it. Death, preventable death. Not exactly the Hippocratic Oath.
• Worse, prohibiting communication of home remedies and prophylactics which could keep hospitals from being overrun. And what do we get? Other illness in need of treatment never got it because there was no room at the hospitals and a publicized risk of going there. Death.
• The vaccine. To some you need it to keep from dying, so they’ll mandate a passport, and you can’t buy groceries or keep your job. Doesn’t that starve out or economically ruin people? Destruction to death. Why are businesses and institutions so ready to embrace this self-destruction?
• To others, it’s a killer vax and the truth is that plenty have died from it. Death. (Shhhh, we’re told. Don’t tell anyone.) Seriously?
• And vaccine side effects include miscarriage and infertility among young women. Limit of population growth and Death.

We could look at all that death, depopulation, and see it as mere coincidence.  Or we could see it as a plan.  Satan’s plan. 
And why?  Because he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  He hates God’s Image being replicated over the face of the earth.  He hates God’s blessing humanity, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:26-28).

Satan hates God.  He hates God’s Image.  He hates life.  Satan desires three things: (1) to engage in depopulation through death of those who survived the womb, (2) to engage in depopulation through infertility, miscarriage, and abortion, and (3) to take as many people with him to hell as he possibly can. 

Fine, that’s Satan, you say. 
But why would any rational person want what Satan wants?  It doesn’t compute. 

Then it occurred to me.  Of course, it makes no sense to me as a Christian!  I follow the Lord of Life.  The One who blesses.  The One who wants all His Image-bearers to be multiplying, fulfilling that blessing throughout the whole earth, and everyone coming to true life in Christ. 

Such good news that Jesus is the Lord of Life!

Stick with me.  Does it mean I wear a tin foil hat because I see that everything Satan wants is at odds with God’s will?  No. Satan likes death. 

Does it mean that people can’t be carried away thinking they’re do-gooders when they’re really against God? 
(Get ready, Yikes…)
Jesus told us to expect that very thing.

“In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.”  (John 16:2-4)

They don’t know God.  So deluded that they don’t know that their aims are furthering the plan of Satan…and they think perhaps that depopulation will help food supplies, limit overcrowding, or save the planet.  They plan their trips to Mars because they don’t believe in our God who can save the planet without their help. 

Step back from the chaos and noise and make sure you’re aligned with the Lord of Life!  He came that we may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Lord of Life!  Thank You for the breath of life each day and for the new life You give us as Your followers.  Help us to see matters of life and death as You see them. Embolden us, encourage us, and make us fearless proclaimers of Your truth as we see the Day approaching.  Help us to communicate the Gospel clearly and to thwart the work, the will, and the plan of our adversary.  He’s a defeated enemy, and we praise You for Your victory on the Cross!  We praise You for eternal life that comes by Your shed blood! We stand amazed at Your victory over death and the grave!  Give us a powerful renewed urgency to speak life into our world through proclamation of Your Word as the Lord of Life.  Amen! 

Let’s see some more good news in our Good News series to combat the bad news streaming from all forms of media 24/7.  Perhaps you need it like I do.  My heart has felt heavy, water-logged with constant saturation of bad news.

My heart is breaking for this world and for the good people in it,
and all persecuted Christians, both those who belong to God already
and those who are learning their allegiance to Christ through fire.

Our adversary Satan (also known as the prince of this world) has no hold on Jesus and is a defeated enemy.  He has no hold on Christians either as we are protected by the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Praise God!

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome [the spirit of the antichrist/false prophets], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”  (1 John 4:4)

If evil is so defeated, then why are we seeing this worldwide horror show unfolding before our eyes daily? 

It’s hard to say except for a few things.  First, we were told to expect it (Matthew 24:4-21).  But the Bible goes beyond simply saying to expect it.  Oddly, it also says that suffering and death are how the world learns about Jesus (and in our day, similarly, suffering and death cause people to seek Him when all earthly solutions give way).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave. (John 14:27-31)

We thank You Father for the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ and for His willingness to lay down His life to reclaim humanity which bears Your Image.  We thank You that by faith we can enjoy eternal life with You and have Your peace that transcends all understanding.  Thank You that Jesus leaves His peace with us and that He doesn’t give as the world does. Thank You that You are greater than anything the world has to offer, even what it sells as good for us. You, Lord, are greater and will sustain our faith through any evil that false teachers, demons, or man may design to harm us.  No one can snatch us out of Your hands, and we praise You for that confidence! We ask Father that whatever suffering and death and distress that seems so unequaled in the timeline of man that You would use it for Your glory. That it would cause people to look for answers and find them in Jesus. Lord help us to remain confident and strong and to be willing to proclaim our allegiance to Christ, though it may be a huge sacrifice to do so.  We thank You for Your protection upon Christians. Thank You for the blood of Christ. Thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the immensity of Your love for us. Strengthen us in these last days, Lord, and give us great power and wisdom so that we may proclaim Your word more boldly. We ask Father that You will not only thwart any evil that our adversary has planned, but You will cast him into his own pit, dug for us but destined for him.  Use the very things that our adversary crafts to instill fear, and turn it around, Lord, using it for good, to enlarge Your Kingdom, to make it greater, and that You would receive all the glory at the splendor of Your coming harvest!  We praise You! Amen.

Are you finding the world a confusing place right now?  Chaotic?  Disorderly? A train wreck? A dumpster fire?  I can think of a lot of images to describe our world at present, but idyllic, peaceful, tranquil, decent, orderly, righteous, and Edenic are not among them.

We are at war in the spiritual realm.
We are in chaos in the earthly realm.
And when, I do not know, the two shall meet for a final battle on the earth.

In the words of Grant Osborne in his Baker Exegetical commentary on Revelation, “There are no neutralities in this war; not to belong to Christ is to belong to the beast.”

Please take a moment to consider your relationship to Jesus.  Do you belong to Him?  Then you have no fear … because nothing, we’re told twice, can snatch us out of His hands.  (John 10:28-29)

Stand firm because our God is a God of peace, order, and righteousness. 

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. … all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:33,40 ESV)

Our enemy is the antithesis of that.  Discord, chaos, evil describes a world seemingly under control of the devil.  He has no authority over Christians. 

God will repay the years the locusts take away and He will reward those who have given up everything to follow Him.  The kind of service and sacrifice that displays our values, our principles, and our allegiance to the God or god we serve.

I am reminded of the final movie scene from The King’s Speech, the real speech oddly edited to remove some very important words.

Reflect on the dramatic differences in meaning and significance as you read the missing words (in blue in the photo, in bold below). “It is the principle which permits a state, in the selfish pursuit of power, to disregard its treaties and its solemn pledges; which sanctions the use of force, or threat of force, against the sovereignty and independence of other states.

Such a principle, stripped of all disguise, is surely the mere primitive doctrine that might is right; and if this principle were established throughout the world, the freedom of our own country and of the whole British Commonwealth of Nations would be in danger. But far more than this – the peoples of the world would be kept in the bondage of fear, and all hopes of settled peace and of the security of justice and liberty among nations would be ended.

This is the ultimate issue which confronts us. For the sake of all that we ourselves hold dear, and of the world’s order and peace, it is unthinkable that we should refuse to meet the challenge.

…ready for whatever service or sacrifice it may demand, then, with God’s help, we shall prevail.”

Father God please help us to see the spiritual battle in the heavenly realms and the earthly battle for the allegiance of human hearts and minds as one of good vs evil, order vs chaos, faith vs fear, and freedom vs slavery. We lift to You those who are hurting, at risk of being a hostage, those at risk of execution, those who are at risk of being imprisoned for Bible apps on their phones, and those who are living with health risks in this time of crisis. Please Lord, protect those whom You have called, marked with that seal of the Holy Spirit.  May we be protected from evil in the days that come, and You would prevent wolves from entering the flock to devour those who follow You. May we be willing to sacrifice earthly comforts, to preach the Gospel more boldly and urgently as we see Your Day approaching, and to serve You with whole hearts full of reassurance that You will reward those who faithfully follow You.  We praise You that You are a God of order and peace, and we ask, Lord, that just as Jesus calmed the waves by simple words, “Be still!,” that He would still the chaos of this world and restore order and peace.  Lord Jesus, we take Your yoke upon ourselves and thank You of Your promise to give rest and reassurance to those who look to You as our only Savior.  We praise You for the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, we thank You for His victory over death.  We thank You that no one can snatch us out of Your hands. We love You Lord. We love You so much.  We pray all of this for Your glory. Amen.

“You want me to do WHAT???”  I’ve been there.  I’ve stared at myself in the mirror, but arguing with God, saying “Wait a minute.  I did that already.  Remember the firestorm I walked through just a little while ago?  I did that because You told me to.  Now You want me to do it … again?”  Then deciding to repent of my unspoken “Are You nuts???” that I knew God heard in my heart anyway, I said, “Okay.  Just don’t leave me.  It’s very scary out there. I really am. Very. Scared.” 

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9). He didn’t actually say it to me.  He just had me remember that He’d said it in His word which means I can take it to the bank.

The truth is the spiritual battle is often very lonely and incredibly frightening. 

Our adversary is beyond despicable.  If he can’t get to us directly, he pulls a Job on us and goes after our possessions, our work, our families, our children, our spouse, our friends, and own bodies.  He assaults us with betrayal after betrayal, injury upon injury … often equally against those whom God has NOT called to the battlefield because our adversary knows the pain that he will inflict on us by hurting those who matter to us.  Those innocents who didn’t have the direct call from God, but whom our adversary designs they become side-casualties to create a double mind and stop the work of the one who was called.

Nobody warned me about that in seminary.

I’ve seen a quote attributed to Billy Graham, “The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”  It’s on a million plaques at Christian trinket shops along with a convention of Precious Moments figurines.  It’s not a quote you’ll find in the Bible.  But it’s semantically similar enough to the 2 Corinthians 12:9 verse above that I reflect on the quality of truth in it. 

I think I’m still bothered by the word “cannot.”  It’s not as much of a forceful, reliable promise as the earlier “will not.”  Maybe like it implies there’s something up to me instead of the 100% God-will-do-it grace of an omnipresent God.  Like His will could be thwarted if I mess it up and the grace of God could have sustained me but for… me.  I think that’s why it’s not in the Bible. True, our job is to see none outside miss out on the grace of God…by dissention and petty disagreement, but for those following Christ, the good news is that God gives Grace Enough.

Good news that I can’t mess it up because I need grace enough for the battle.  That His power will be perfect for protecting my loved ones.  For giving them the courage and deep abiding faith to support my call even if I don’t fully understand it myself.  To bravely soldier beside me and behind me in prayer. I never asked for any sort of leadership.  It came and with it, a legion of arrows, each leaving deep wounds, kind of like Paul’s thorn in the flesh.  I soldier on…praying,

Lord Jesus, we thank You that Your grace is enough for the battle– enough to sustain us, enough when we’re frightened, enough when we’re confused, and it’s enough when we feel the pain of war.  When we know insults of being taken out, sidelined, or passed over (or our families are) Your grace is enough… enough for today, enough for tomorrow, just as it was enough yesterday. We praise You and thank You that Your mercies are new every morning because every morning we need new ones as each day has enough troubles of its own.  We need Your mercy and grace enough to cover, challenge, and conquer all our troubles.  Thank You Lord for the depth of Your love. Thank You for the call on our lives and that nothing bad happens to us that hasn’t first passed through Your hands as being for our good and Your glory.  We don’t understand but ask for faith to believe this.  We ask, Lord, that You would be glorified in the battle as we stand firm in faith with that whole armor of God around us and upon us. We thank You, Lord, for faith in Your Son Jesus Christ who endured all things, even the Cross. We thank You that He is the author and perfecter of our faith and that He’s gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us.  Lord, as You look over the earth, grieving no doubt at what You see, Lord, let us be found faithful… walking in obedience to Your word, rushing into Your will with faces like flint, soft hearts full of love for You and our fellow man, and a wholehearted perseverance to the very end.  We ask Lord that You would be glorified in all of this. We thank You for Lord Jesus, for His sacrifice, for His saying “Not my will but Yours be done” all the way to “It is finished.”  May we have the courage of conviction to follow Him wherever He calls, and we pray this in His mighty Name to Your eternal glory. Amen.

I hear in your voices your genuine concern for your loved ones.  A concern that is quite different than one rooted in fear.  It is one rooted in genuine love for them. I sense this is a burden many Christians carry.  It has taken me a long time to find words to put to this.

People we love have received the vaccine. 
People we love are refusing it. 
All are professing Christians,
those receiving the jab believing it to be a gift of God
and others concerned about it becoming the mark of the beast. 

We do not want Christians to worry, “Oh no!  I received the mark of the beast and there’s no hope for me!  I made a mistake and believed the science, was worried about dying from COVID and got the jab.  I don’t want to go to hell.  I didn’t mean to get the mark of the beast!” 

Please don’t worry.  God knows your heart and GOD IS GREATER! WHAT GOOD NEWS!

So here we have the outcome of closing churches and stripping people of Christian community due to COVID, of watering down theology to be non-offensive for a WOKE culture and dismissing evangelical Christians due to politics, impugning them as “conspiracy theorists” and “science deniers.”  Christian vs. Christian.  It’s pretty ugly out there.

The bad news is that we have just received global homework on fear vs faith that many people failed.  The test is yet to come.

Is the vax the mark of the beast?  Probably not the actual mark, but not for the reasons so many Christians are offering. (e.g. It’s not a 666, it’s not on the right hand or forehead, the church hasn’t been raptured yet, we don’t know who the beast is right now but according to a guru’s magic decoder ring, the antichrist is probably the Pope…)  AAAIEEEEE. Don’t get me started.

I believe God is greater than COVID.  He is greater than the vaccine.  Perfect love casts out fear.  I firmly believe that Christians NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT. 

The vaccine is not the unforgivable sin, nor is failure to get it. 

It’s a wakeup call to your heart’s loyalties, your willing submission to which authority, your fear threshold, and a call to follow Jesus Who is the only true cure out there when this life ends… which is 100% certain.  

Equip yourself with knowledge, especially knowledge of God’s Word.  God is greater. 

I know the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses….Your Name, LORD, endures forever, Your renown, LORD, through all generations. For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants. (Psalm 135:5-7, 13-14)

Pray over your loved ones and if they are not people of faith, that’s the real healing needed.  For God so loved the world…

Lord Jesus, help!  For our loved ones who got the vaccine, we are praying You will stand in the way of any negative side effects.  May the hope of believers that it was a gift from God in the form of medical science and their love for You make it true in their lives.  You are greater than a vaccine.  If You can wake a “sleeping” Tabitha, Jairus’ daughter, a woman’s only son, Lazarus, and cure a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years and a demoniac with a legion, make us rock-solid in knowledge that You are sovereign over the bloodstream of our loved ones to prevent side effects.  Give us opportunity to talk about the end times while there is still time, give us words to convey the coming mark of the beast and how we see before us the dangerous pathway carved out by capitulating to fear, and about submission to the government/global powers instead of submitting ourselves to You, O God. Teach us Your Word about submitting to You and resisting the devil who will flee from us, by Your power.  Strengthen our resolve to follow You.  Help us to stick together in these dark and uncertain times.  May we bless You as we fight the good fight, run the course, and finish the race with fullness of faith in the finished work of Your Son Jesus Christ.  Give us confidence that no one can snatch us out of Your hand.  The good news is that You are greater.  We love You, Lord.  We love You so much! Amen.