November 29, 2012:       Daniel Daring        Daniel's previous reflections

Do not give up – First Sunday of Advent
Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-36  

            There is no need to read the apocalyptic prediction about the end of the world. It is enough to read our daily news to realize that we are in anguish at the roaring and tossing of the sea, and that we faint from terror thinking about what is happening in  the world. And yet, in the middle of  all of these tragic events, we are told not to give up but stand high, with our heads lifted up, because our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).  

Stand high  

It is not easy to stand tall, when you are facing a crisis or potential tragedy. In May 1989, thousands of Polish students were facing guns and tanks. I guess we were tired. It was the forty-fourth year of communism and seventh year of martial law. Our leaders were puppets, following the orders of Moscow; our military forces were attached to Russian forces; our history books were distorting the truth, and our television programs were set to preach the false promises of ‘communist heaven on earth.’
So tired, we stood there. ‘Will they shoot at us?’ – Some were asking. We could not possibly know at that time. Moreover, we could not have expected that in a few months time, the Russian Empire would collapse, and Poland would have a democratically elected government. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

There is something special about those who believe: no matter how badly life treats them they are always hopeful. They do not give in to the circumstances around them; they are unable to resign their fate to the forces of life. You can spot them in the crowd by the way they walk, without slouching, looking straight in life’s face, and greeting everybody with a smile and an encouraging word. They draw their strength from their faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord of history knowing with certainty that He is coming to deliver them from all sort of troubles.

They hold God by His promise of a Davidic Kingdom: “In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: The LORD our justice” (Jeremiah 33:16). They apply this promise to their own countries, to their own circumstances, firmly believing that God is not only concerned with Judah and Jerusalem, but also with Myanmar and Rangoon, the Philippines and Manila, East Timor and Dili, China and Beijing, Vietnam and Hanoi, Indonesia and Jakarta, and so on.

Although the news and many situations may be disheartening, within their small Christian communities, they read Jeremiah’s promise in a new way: ‘In those days Myanmar (as an example) shall be safe and Rangoon (as an example) shall dwell secure, this is what they shall call her – Rangoon: The LORD our justice.’ And to their surprise “they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27).  

Be careful  

However, there are moments when you want to give up. You ask yourself why you have to struggle so hard, while others enjoy their lives. In 1989 a powerful earthquake killed more than 30,000 people in Armenia. A father ran to the school in order to know what happened to his son. The school was completely destroyed. Other parents, who arrived earlier, were bereaved. Seemingly, there was nothing to hope for, and yet that father after the initial shock began to dig through the rubble in the place he thought was the classroom of his son. He dug for many hours. Other parents tried to stop him, telling that it is too late; the police came to tell him that he should go home allowing them to handle it. He asked all those advisers one question only: “Are you going to help me now?” Nobody did. After 38 hours of searching, he heard his son’s voice. Thirteen other children were saved as well. (Based on the story by Mark V. Hansen, Are you going to help me? in Chicken Soup of the Soul)

Yes, there are moments we are weighed down by the problems of life. Yes, there are the initial shocks at the sights of the tragedies of our loved ones and friends' experience. We even hear others telling us to stop dreaming and accept what the fate brings. However, dissipation, drunkenness, and worries are never the solutions in such moments. “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul” (Psalm 25:1). That is the solution.

 Nobody is immune to the capricious fate of life’s ups and downs. But, one can face his/her own life with hope that goes beyond its circumstances. Jesus tells us to be always on the watch and to pray that we would be able to escape those tragedies that are about to fall upon the world. So, in moments of being weighed down by life, we do not hit the bottle, or fret, but we raise our voices in prayer: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me” (Psalm 25:1-2). And to our surprise, we are able to face another day with renewed strength.  

Conclusion  

Horatio G. Spafford lived with his wife and four daughters in Chicago. In 1871, the fire that devastated the city ruined him financially. In 1873, his wife and daughters boarded a ship bound for France. A  collision with another steamship occurred in Mid-Atlantic. The only one who survived the tragedy was his wife. Bereaved, he turned to God in prayer. Three years after the tragedy, Spafford wrote in memory of his four daughters a famous hymn, It is well with my soul:  

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trumpet shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.  

Yes. Nations may be in anguish and perplexity; people may faint from terror, but we are standing tall, lifting up our heads, because our redemption is drawing near.