A friend told me, “Nelson, I am worried about Russia invading Ukraine. What if it leads to World War III?”
I can imagine him having apocalyptic visions of massive armies drenched in bloodbath, the global economy in shambles, perhaps even nuclear winter.
I understand. These nightmare scenarios crossed my imagination, too.
But there is one perspective we need to keep in mind.
Jesus said in two separate occasions “You will hear wars and rumors of wars… I have said these things to you, that in me, you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (Matthew 24:6, John 16:32b-33).
These are realistic words. War exists. We cannot be spiritual ostriches hiding our heads in the sand. We cannot flippantly say of the Ukraine crisis as “oh, don’t worry, God is in control.”
But rather than sinking into dismay, Jesus invites us to take heart. The secret is to take heart in WHO.
We fret, even panic, because we think our fate lies in the hands of global leaders. “If only Putin were not that greedy.” “If only Biden would show more guts.”
But these avail us naught. In declaring that He had overcome the world, Jesus is inviting us to put our trust in Him. To show for it, He has died on the Cross and risen from the dead. If He has conquered death, He can conquer anything.
So why is this still happening? After all, didn’t Jesus use the past perfect tense? “I HAVE overcome the world,” He claimed. So why didn’t He put a tight lease on Putin? Or usher world peace, for that matter?
The writer of Hebrews answered it well. Paraphrasing 2:5-9, we do not see the world as it should be: where justice flows like a mighty river, where swords will be beaten into plowshares, where nobody will cry out in pain ever again. But we see Jesus, Who one day will make everything right.
Have you placed your heart in the hands of the Prince of Peace? Only then we can take heart. Only then we can watch the world plunge into tribulation… and still be unshaken.
February 25, 2022
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