January 22, 2015 –
Doug Huneke –
Two very gracious women came to the door the other day to explain to me that the end of time is near-at-hand; “Read the signs,” one of them urged, opening her Bible to a passage in the apocalyptic Book of Daniel, “you see, it is all here and all you have to do is read the newspaper to know that God is going to call us home, but God can save you from what is coming.”
In particular, the news of the world in the last weeks does indeed arouse fear and anxiety: terrorism in Paris, slaughter in Nigeria, global threats and provocations from factions fighting throughout the Middle East, and the list goes on and on. In the face of distracting headlines and countless deafening texts, tweets, and blogs it can be downright hard to keep the faith, to hear or to remember that we are a called people. And, when we can’t hear or remember who and whose we are, it can be downright hard to act on God’s call.
Like Jonah (2:1-10) you will want to go deep into the belly of your inner being and ask yourself: what is all this fear doing to me? And, what is the trust I need to reclaim so I can hear the voice of God over the din of these days? And, what does my soul need of me in order to reclaim inner serenity and outward peace. Give your Self the gift of a quiet five minutes each day this week to pour your Self into the words of the Psalmist (62:5), “In God alone be at rest, my soul; for my hope comes from the Lord. God alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress: I stand firm.” See if you can hear the words of Christ, “Come follow me….”