The Lord Your Stability

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Tim. 2:1-2

I came across these verses (the one above & the one inset) when I was looking up Scripture pertaining to prayers for a nation. To be honest with you, I needed them. I got onto social media this morning and was frustrated with many of the posts that I saw from Christians. Calls for war, death, isolation, and the like flooded my news feed. Over and over again I see that patriotism often overrides the governing force of Holy Spirit in our lives. We often forget that the Lord knows the plans that He has for us.

Notice Paul's admonishment to Timothy. Pray. Pray for everyone. Pray for Kings and all those in authority. Why? So we can live peaceful and quiet lives. I realize that this goes against the American way of doing things. We have a voice and we know it. However, I still believe that the greatest weapon we possess is the power of prayer. Our steadfastness to trust the Lord and those whom we place in His care has always been the greatest testimony of the Church. We realize that everything doesn't always go our way (look at the early church), but we can still have confidence in the Lord's heart for us. We don't have to lead the battle cry against rulers. We don't need to sound the call to arms. We need to pray. We need to seek the Lord's will for our lives and the prosperity of our nation. We need to trust the leadership of the Lord in His model prayer, "On earth as it is in heaven..."

I would also encourage us to remember the verse from Isaiah 33:6, "He (speaking of the LORD) will be the stability of your times..." How quickly we forget that it is the Lord that sustains His creation. While I do not believe He controls everything, I do believe He is in charge. He has turned so much of this world over to us. However, in the end, He has a plan. There is a Kingdom that will manifest. There is a church that will rise up. There are sons yet to be revealed. We are the ones who should walk in unwavering confidence. Our Father does not need to micro-manage the world. In fact, I don't believe He does. He trusts what He has placed inside of us. All of us. And He leads, guides, and prompts us to allow His image and likeness to come forth.

These are difficult times. We do face threats that would have seemed foreign to us 20-30 years ago. However, I'm not ready to resign our nation or the world to the forces of evil in our day. Each generation has its difficulties to overcome. Each generation has a choice to make. While I do see a pendulum swing occurring in our nation, I want us to be careful in how we proceed. Especially when it concerns the church. How we handle things will determine the progress (or lack thereof) of the Kingdom.

I see so many people ready to take their stance. They are all to willing to be heard on one side or the other. Where do we stand concerning refugees? What is our take on ISIS? How do we respond to the tragedies like the one in Paris? So many people are quick to make their judgments based primarily upon their own sense of national pride and political agendas. How often do we actually ask the Lord what His heart is for these situations? I'm serious. Do we not believe that God has a thought or two about these things? Or do we simply believe He is on our side because He believes the same things we believe?

There is so much fear dominating the headlines and the reactions of our day. This is what fear does. It causes a reaction. Faith, on the other hand, creates a response. This is where we get to choose. We can either react to the fear that is going on in our own hearts or we can respond to the faith that we possess. Which will it be? I'm reminded of the story of Joshua drawing near to Jericho. It is here that he encountered a man with a sword in His hand. Joshua asked, "Are you for us or our enemies?" The Man responded, "No..." What an incredible answer. While we discover that Jericho was given to Israel, the Captain of the Hosts of the Lord was not there on behalf of a nation. He was there on the Lord's behalf. In other words, God had something invested in the furtherance of Israel.

What has the Father invested in us? How are we to respond to the current circumstances within our nation and around the world? Where do we find our stability?
In the Old Testament we find that God often revealed Himself in the way that Israel needed: Provision, Healing, Righteousness, Shepherd, etc. In our day, we need to rediscover the Lord Our Stability. The High Tower that we can run to. The Wisdom that we need. The Sure Foundation that we long for. If we are going to take a stance, He should be it. We should cry out with the psalmist, "Some trust in chariots. Others in horses. We trust in the Lord our God."

I don't know how it will all play out. I also realize that this is not a game. However, the Church needs to lead the cause for faith, not fear. We need to be a place of refuge in uncertain times. We don't need to further alienate or isolate. The Healing of the Nations lies within us. Making Disciples of the Nations is our call. We cannot lose our identity in all of this. The Lord has greater plans. He is our stability. We trust in nothing less. We believe that He is for us, not against us. He that began a good work in us will complete it.

This is the faith of our fathers. This is what the early church believed in the midst of severe persecution. This is what we have always trusted in. When the Lord is our stability, we can be stable in unstable times. Let us not lose heart. Let us stand fast in Him and continue to abound in His work in the earth. "May the Lord bless you and keep you. Cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace." I bless you in Jesus' name.