Monday, October 13, 2008

"Many people in this City..."

Genesis 18:16-33
Acts 18:10

These are crazy times we have been living in the last few weeks. Every time it seems like things are turning around, they seem to fall apart again. I know there is a lot of fear driving most of the decisions on Wall Street and on Capitol Hill. This is very distrubing to me because God has not given us a "spirit of fear". But, I have asked myself during this time, is this the judgment of God? I cannot answer that question because I do not know the mind of God and His ways are so much higher than my ways, but I can know His character and His heart from the scriptures.

I had a conversation with a very wise pastor last week. He asked me, "Elaine, why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?" And I gave the Sunday School answer, "because of their wickedness". He said, "has not the wickedness of America far surpassed the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah?". I had to think about it and say "yes". Then he gave the most thought provoking answer for a time like today. He said, "God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because He could not find 10 righteous men".

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is always seen as a story about the wrath of God, but now I look at it differently. How merciful is the God we serve that He would have spared the city if He had been able to find 10 righteous men. God brought Acts 18:10 to my mind every day last week:

"For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." Acts 18:10

I am convinced that when God looks down and America, He still says "I have many people in that city". He has not forgotten us. He is not asleep. None of this has taken Him by surprise. We can trust in His Sovereignty and in His plan. He is in control of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Be comforted by that. It is in times like these that we truly realize that we have no other hope except in the name of Jesus. He is the only hope we have or will ever have. Trust Him today and ask Him to calm your fears in these anxious times.

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