Dear Church of the Open Bible,
By the time you read this, vicious winds will be gathering off the coast of Florida as Hurricane Milton prepares to make landfall. The predicted devastation will be catastrophic and is compounded by the fact that the region was hit by Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago. In addition, missiles continue to be fired at Israel by terrorists while retaliatory strikes are being carried out in Lebanon. The war in Ukraine shows no signs of letting up after two and a half years with hundreds of thousands dead. It’s enough to make you weep. Yet, these represent just a fraction of the suffering going on around the world.
The past few Sundays in Luke have shown us that anxiety indicates a deficiency in knowing the goodness and sovereign care of our heavenly Father. Whether it comes to confessing Christ or gathering possessions, we can be confident that God will provide as we trust Him. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t grieve the suffering we see or hear about. We should intercede with prayer and serve in love. But we should take care to note what our hearts are resting in. May our hearts be strengthened in the Lord, remembering the incredible hope and anticipation we share with creation, in Him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. - Romans 8:18