Rick Oldenkamp –
I don’t know about you, but to me, the world today is a rather tumultuous and scary place. The racial tensions in Missouri and Baltimore, ISIS in the Middle East, Russian aggression in The Ukraine, drought in California, and an earthquake swarm in Concord. How do we cope with all of this?
The World would say:
· “Numb yourself to all this distress by using alcohol or other substances.”
· “Ignore all this by continuing to lose yourself in your work and busyness.”
· “Distract yourself by buying stuff — the latest new car or technological gadget.”
· “Go crazy and lose sleep worrying about all of it.”
God would say:
· Have hope, I created this world, and I created you. I am sovereign and in control.
· Have hope, I have a plan.
· Have hope and let me call you away from all this chaos.
Hope is a difficult concept for us to understand, and even more difficult for us to fully embrace and accept. God calls us to hope and when we fully take that hope into our hearts, it leads to peace. Peace even in this tumultuous world.
