Of all the promises in Scripture, the truth of John 16:33 rings loud in these uncertain times, “In this world you will have trouble.” We live in a world tainted by sin and we are susceptible to so much trouble. The current news regarding the Coronavirus is unsettling and the unknown aspects of the condition can be panic-inducing. The financial markets are in turmoil, health concerns are a priority, and general social unrest is present. Of course, the idea of trouble is not new and the promise that there will be increasing trouble is seen clearly in Revelation. The question is how do we respond to these troubling times?
Jeremiah 29:11 states “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God was not stating that nothing bad would happen to us, in fact just the opposite. He was giving us confidence in our hope of the future. Our hope and future is not bound up in our health or wealth or what we consider to be positive circumstances. Our hope and future is anchored on God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ. The truth of this promise is what allows a child of God to face these difficult times with a sure hope and a confidence. In fact, Christ articulates this point so well in John 16:33. The full verse states – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Take heart!!! Be blessed, be confident, be settled, be hopeful. Not in the circumstances, for they are absolutely unsettling and we do not bury our heads in the sand and pretend they do not exist. However, we take heart in Christ and His victory, which includes victory over the present struggle.
With the truth of the hope of Christ through the grace of God as our backdrop, our perspective of the current crisis (and any crisis) is changed. We must not be focused on the impact of a fallen world, but we must focus on the fallen-ness of the world. We live in a world where many people exist without hope. In difficult times, the pain of that lack of hope shines brightly. Responses resonating from fear and panic are common. Anger, anxiety, control, bitterness, and desperation rule the day. This is the nature of us as a people and should be of no surprise, but it must be a motivator of our hearts. If people today lack hope and hope is only found in Christ, then, as believers in Christ, we must bring the light of hope to the world. Our fight is not against Coronavirus (although a battle to be sure) and our fight is not against any other circumstance in our life. Ephesians 6:10-19 shows that “our fight is not against flesh and blood”. Our fight is against a lack of hope and the rejection of the source of hope, Christ.
As believers, now is not a time to shrink back. Now is the time to wage war against hopelessness. We absolutely must be informed in how and if we continue to gather and we must be prudent about how we face the current obstacle of illness, but we must be anchored on hope. Not hope that the market will rise or that a cure will be found, but a hope that is greater than money and a hope that is the provider of health in the form of eternal life. Bring the truth of Christ to your work and your neighborhood and your family. We would love a cure for Coronavirus, but if we have one and still reject the cure for hopelessness, then we have merely gained the world and lost our soul (Mark 8:36).
As followers of Christ, as the holders of Hope, as the children of God, let us use the present condition for the good of all those without hope. Let us bring Christ and His victory to their heart’s door. Let us live in the promise of our hope and future secured in Christ. May Paul’s words be true in our lives from 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
"Adam Baker is senior pastor of West Bend Community Church in West Bend, WI. He received his Master’s in Practical Theology from Regent University and B.A. in Business and Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh. He also has a 21+ year in corporate retail, serving in varying executive management roles. Adam and his wife, Jenny have 4 children, Kaleb, Joshua, Samuel, and Ava."
