Daily Gratitude Year 4-Day 181: Today, I am grateful for a reality check...and an "off button" on my TV. "We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge."
"He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!" Psalm 111:9-10
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
(Feel free to stop here...as it has gratitude value. If you read on...the rest is a personal response to world events. My opinion... my thoughts personal response to scripture.. and not intended for debate.)
Less than 24 hours ago, terror struck the global community, again. We are on the eve of a presidential election that feels more terrifying than exciting. You know political posts are not my thing here...but I am in awe of the signs of the times.
Like so many others, I have watched the news of another airport attack. There is so much repetition and no real new information...so I have decided to turn it off. I can get summaries later. We need to be informed, but we have to make a choice to not be consumed. My time is better spent praying for the wounded, the grieving and the world leaders trying determine a response.
"We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge." The media bombards us with the firestorm of man's inhumane acts toward other men. The media frequently twists reports to the personal agendas of the owners and power brokers. We receive tons of information but not much knowledge or wisdom.
History so often repeats itself. What have we learned from the past? How will we make changes in the future? Are we living in the last days? Only God knows the answer to that last question:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. "-Mark 13:31-33 (Matthew 24 has very similar text recorded from Jesus teachings)
We are told to "be on alert", but we are also instructed to keep calm and carry on until His day comes. What seems like a long story on our clock...one that stretches out over centuries and millenniums...is a blink in God's eye. A blink!
I have new eyes for old Testament passages that talk about God's response to a nation who rejected him again and again.His people... who only sought him with obedience when they are in trouble or need something. They prayed to him in times of terror but lived in bold defiance of his laws in their normal, every day lives. It is a scenario that sounds so familiar.
2 Chronicles 7:14 rings loud and clear: "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
"His people"...with an "if" and an "I will". Who or what will we choose?
Hosea 2: It is filled with defiance, disobedience...and then restoration. Do we long for restoration or do we prefer to deny his deity and insist on our independence?
"He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." -Psalm 46:10
"I will be...." Maybe not today, but the day is coming. He is present today...but not exalted by rulers and nations. The television reports seem to indicate that like in the Old Testament days, we have lost our way. He is a patient God, but he is just and holy, too.
"I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." He will be exalted. Prophecy or promise? Both.
"I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you." -Isaiah 44:22
News nuggets can give us a snapshot of the state of the world. We hear the economic assessment and implications, but not the spiritual ones. I find my mind returns to the fictional...but full of facts... novel, "The Harbinger", by Jonathan Cahn.
There is peace in the storm. "Spoiler alert: God wins."
If you have never explored that the Bible might be true, let me point you to http://coldcasechristianity.com/ A police detective, Jim Warner Wallace, takes his crime scene analysis skills to prove or disprove Christianity. Once a second generation atheist...now, a believer. based on in depth research using cold case detective skills.
"Be still and know I am God."
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