Hold fast

Scripture: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10)

By the time you read this, the election will be over and the President of the United States will be decided. Whoever has been elected, whether you voted for him or not, just remember: God is in control. He knew the outcome long before we did. There is a powerful prayer that David prayed in I Chronicles that I memorized once. In part, it goes: “…for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things.” (I Chronicles 29:11-12) Never forget the power of prayer, and what our Lord is capable of!
Though we fret over how our nation is turning further and further away from God, and how much our nation continues to plummet into darkness, what we mustn’t lose sight of is the fact that God hears our cries and our pleas. He knows what is happening and what will happen. But prophecies must be fulfilled, and I believe it is going to get much darker as time goes on. It is my own, personal opinion, that God is pulling his hand away from America as we, as a society in general; choose our own personal idols and pleasures before Him. We are suffering from the consequences of a sinful nation, and as believers, we’re stuck here, as in a ship in a fierce storm.

You would think we would have learned from the experiences of the Israelites in the Old Testament. They were rescued out of Egypt and at first, praised God. But after walking in the desert for so long, they began turning from God and began whining about wanting to return to Egypt! “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2-3)

Over and over again, they stop looking at the blessings and provisions given by God, and instead, begin to concentrate on their wants unfulfilled. Nothing is new under the sun. We can hardly blame the Israelites, because we do the exact same thing now; both individually, and as a nation. We tend to focus less on our provisions and start to concentrate more on what we don't have.

My encouragement to you, is this: Don’t lose sight of the blessings, even though the world seems to be getting darker. Do you have a job? Are you able to pay your bills? Are you and your family in general good health? Do you have a vehicle to drive to work? Do you go home to a roof over your head? Nothing is perfect, but don’t lose sight of all God IS doing for you.

Right now, we are living in a nation where society is fighting for things abominable to God, and we must hold out and hold on to each other. Don’t lose faith. Don’t stop praying. God is in control. He hears our cries. He fills our provisions. So even if we plummet more into darkness, never lose sight that He is standing beside you the whole time. “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after your have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist …” (Ephesians 6:13-14)

We are Christian Soldiers, each one of us. There is no such thing as an army of one. We must stand together until the end of the battle. Stand fast, keep praying, and know that no matter what happens God is with you.

“Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
but the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
we have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail.

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!"
(Onward Christian Soldiers, Arthur S. Sullivan)

Prayer request: That our faith increase in spite of adversity.

Prayer: Lord, we ask You to help us to hold fast to You no matter what the world throws at us. You are our Protector, Salvation, our High Tower. We rely on you for our very breath of life. As the world grows darker, increase our faith, and help us each to reach those that don't know You. Amen