What To Do In Times Like These
I have noticed recently that many people, both believers and non-believers alike, have been tossed around by the chaos of the world and have begun living lives marked by distraction and despair. Maybe you have struggled in this area as well. I want to point you to a couple of passages that speak to how we, as believers, are to respond to the chaos around us in times like these. First, a verse from the Old Testament:
1 Chronicles 12:32 - “Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.”
As the tribes of Israel were being catalogued in this chapter they were each commended for some attribute. Some were mighty men, others were men of valor, and here, the tribe of Issachar was commended as having men who understood the times so that Israel may know what to do.
I hope we will follow in the tribe of Issachar’s footsteps and become men and women who understand the times, discerning with Godly wisdom the world that surrounds us and how we should respond in a God-honoring way. Seek to understand the world around you through the lens of Scripture so that you can know what to do.
Let’s look at New Testament passage real quick...
Romans 13:11-14 - “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Wake from your sleep! The day is at hand! Cast off darkness and put on the armor of light. As we seek to understand the times, do not fall asleep or become distracted; remain ready for action. Put on the armor of light and then walk in the daytime. We are not called to simply know what to do but to live it out. We are called to walk properly, not seeking our own desires but putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.
May we be commended as people who understand the times we live in and know what to do and how to live.
May we cast off darkness and sin and put on the armor of light and our Lord Jesus Christ and continue to do His work.
May we not neglect understanding the world we live in, and may we not get distracted and distraught by what we learn, but may we fulfill our calling and command from our God.
May we not be tossed to and fro by every rumor and passing calamity but may we seek Godly discernment and keep working.
Something that has stuck with me since our church studied the book of Daniel is the need to continue doing the Lord’s work as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego do throughout the book. Regardless of what they faced, they obeyed. They were not distraught. They did not fall into despair or chaos but walked in obedience.
At the end of the book in chapter 12, the Lord gives Daniel a message which appears in a couple verses. That message is “go your way till the end.” This wasn’t a blessing to simply do whatever Daniel pleased; it was a message to Daniel to continue walking in obedience and working as the Lord had commanded regardless of his circumstances. So many different things could have shifted him, yet the call from the Lord was the same.
No matter what happens in this world, our job doesn’t change. So yes - there are things that happen in our world, and even in our daily lives, that can shake us and even distract us. But rather than allowing ourselves to become distracted, let’s seek the Lord, understand the times, cast off darkness, put on Jesus Christ, and seek His glory and His kingdom. Continue doing the work of the kingdom regardless of what comes.
To view the sermons from our study of Daniel, click here.