“The sky is falling, The sky is falling!”
You’ve heard it haven’t you?
A short phrase from an old, childhood fable! I’m sure you’re familiar with the age-old ‘kid’ story of Henny Penny when the acorn fell on her head? Oh my goodness, gracious, she was sure the sky was falling and quickly started off to let the King know of such a disaster about to happen! Along the way, she met up with friends and Ducky Lucky, Goosy Poesy, and Turkey Lurky all wished to join in on the journey to tell the King. It all went very well until, along the way, they met up with a friend who was not really a friend at all.
Foxy Loxy, was a sly guy, out for himself, who told them they were going in the wrong direction, then deceivingly led them off down a garden path, right into his den where they never were seen again. Some variations say that Henny Penny heard the rooster crow and escaped and quickly ran off since it was time to lay her morning egg. It’s a simple fable, for children’s ears, that quickly became a bedtime favourite for me and had long been forgotten in the recesses of my mind. The other day as I sat contemplating the present situation of certain disaster sitting on our doorsteps, Henny Penny’s words, “The Sky is Falling,” came to mind. With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting us hard between the eyes, it’s left the globe reeling in chaos! Thing is, it’s not a silly fable of an acorn hitting anyone on the head, but rather, it’s a dreadful reality in our very real day to day world, where a world we once knew as friendly, has become as a ferocious lion, turning on us, seeking whom it may devour, as it feels like the sky falls and crumbles in dreadful disorder at our feet, taking life with it.Yeah, we might truly feel, at such a time as this, the sky is falling with imminent disaster but what on the face of this virus-infested earth are we to do about it? Turns out there’s nothing we can do, except be heroes in our homes to keep others well. I get it that, we may have our own trauma, inside our COVID-19 social distancing, walls with many things churning in our minds. Close quarters, sometimes too close for comfort! Fear of disease, death, safety for our kids and our families coupled with financial pressure, health issues, family struggles, and emotional upheaval, where just coping and keeping our heads above water is hard.
There may be many voices to hear and many thoughts to control. Some voices will convey fear, others panic! Other confused voices might lead us off track making us feel completely helpless and hopeless in it all and lure us into a den of temptation, despair and eventually defeat.Thing is, beautiful ones, we have a King too; a risen King and sovereign King who isn’t surprised by any of this. Turns out, He really knows the end from the beginning of this story and in His Sovereignty, He still remains in charge, no matter how it appears! No matter how much each day is more of the same bad news, we’ve got to know He’s got this thing that man has no control over. So let’s just trust Him for all of our cares and keep building our ark! Make it strong by standing on a firm and solid faith in the One who speaks peace into the eye of the storm. Gather in your sweet promises from a God who honours His Word and has our best interest at heart. Tuck them into your back pocket, secure them safely in your heart and inhale them deeply into the soul of you. Build it high and build it wide and seal it with a hedge of protective prayer, for your families! Don’t let down your guard not even for a minute to follow deceptive voices and sly foxy loxies into a den of despair and defeat. Paul urges the persecuted church, and us today, to be filled with joy anyway because our happiness isn’t dependant on our circumstances, but solely on our relationship with the Lord and is resilient even in the midst of suffering and death. Our joy comes from simply knowing that whatever happens, God will use it for the ultimate good. In Philippians 4: 6, 9
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
We need to pray for deliverance and at the same time, as believers in a Sovereign God, remember we have an eternal hope to hold on to. No, we don’t know the outcome, yet still, we hang on to our solid trust in our Saviour, and our deepening faith in our faithful God, that all is well with our soul, never giving in or giving up!
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
So friends, let’s keep on keeping on staying strong in our faith! Trust the Lord and fight this battle with the efficient and powerful “spiritual weapon” of Peace and a sound stable mind.
“Light is sweet and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.”
Yeah, those just ‘give up” kind of days where we, for some reason, just can’t even stand on the promises of God! Some days and some seasons, It’s difficult to stand for the Truth, to stand for what’s right, to stand for the Light, or to stand for anything at all, isn’t it? No light, no sun, no hope, no motivation and who cares anyway? Just give it all up and dissipate into oblivion. It seems so much easier and safer that way!
We cringe, we fear, we recoil and withdraw because even in the sunlight the mind is bleak and dreary some days. Well you and I and we and us ~ When we can’t find the sun, it’s crucial that we look to the Son and the Savior to find His love gracing us even in the dark. Find His care watching over us, even in the night. Find His awesome grace sustaining us over the hard places and the difficult challenges. Find the Truth in His Word to light our way and His protection to guard our minds, our hearts and our souls.
Peter chose life after his failure, where Judas chose death out of remorse. We have the option to do the same. Christ’s resurrection power dwells in us and His forgiveness empowers us to keep shining even after a fall. Yeah, so make wise decisions even in the consequences of bad choices and choose life. Choose the resurrection power of Christ in us, the hope of glory!
Hope and Healing In Hard Places 