The Storm Enshrouding

Peter's Confession of Christ
…17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Paul's Apostolic Authority
…3For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 4 The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.…

Sometimes, there's a very real sense and experience of so much of the forces of hell mounting an assault on all the world. Right now, it's as that. 

Drawing Near to God
6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.…

There's nothing for it, except to submit to God. Nothing, except to humble myself. We must humble ourselves. 

Cast Your Cares on Him
5Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. 7Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.…

This...is the better part of wisdom: To know God and seek His will in all things, knowing that our own understand falters and sees only in part. We do not know the end of all things, except as He has clearly revealed--that He will overcome, and all will ultimately be made right. 

Until then, we serve as unto God, and we lay our lives down, as a living sacrifice daily. We are not our own, but were bought with a price. We do not get to dictate what our position is, nor what our just deserts, nor what we put our hands to, to embark upon the Father's work. 

Our part is to submit to Him, then doing all those things which He gives us to do with all our might, with the strength which He gives. Seeking Him and His wisdom first, His righteousness, in all things. Making disciples of all nations, teaching all that Christ has taught us. 

And He does teach us--through His Word, by the application and revelation which His Spirit works upon and in us, and through sound counsel. These...are everything. 

Our positions in life are ever-tenuous. All those things we count most dear, most tenuous. God has us in His hands, and He gives and He takes away as He sees fit--according to His good will, that He will be glorified in and through us. 

He is worthy of all praise. He is Beloved above all. His love has covered a multitude of sins, even as that love through us does unto others. Pleading truth and light and reconciliation and peace...with God first, and also with mankind. Those who are the peacemakers are called the children of God. 

How easy, though, to become embroiled in an emotional battle, and for dominance? How easy...to respond in haste, out of fear, or grief, or anger? We are to endure anger when it comes, without sinning. We are to be slow to speak. He gives grace for the day of adversity. And those who do not stand firm in such a day...their utmost strength is weakness. 

This is all of us, except that God intervene--mercifully allotting that which we do not deserve: He graciously, as undeservedly, gives a strength which is beyond ours. To endure every grief and torment and every fear and turmoil of soul. Every grief. 

All things are His. And we are Christ's, so moreover His than even at the outset. His love restrains and mitigates and reforms--tempers--our responses. Over time. An act of divine ordination, for all who come to Christ in trust and seeking forgiveness. 

He freely forgives and reconciles to Himself. He takes that which was broken and cleanses the wounds, He heals. What He wounds, He binds to heal. 

So in that shroud of darkness which would otherwise seek to utterly consume...there is that deeper well of resolve, unwavering. There is that unmitigated peace, to bear through under the weight of all malice and hostility. And to wait for His guidance. 

For my part, I am too quick to rush ahead and do those things which seem right in an instance. But waiting...would be always the better part. 

And when it comes to love, then those who are most dear and in God's hands as well. He gives and He takes away. Blessed be His name. 

I have wept so many times, pleading. For so many whom I love. Yet it's God who saved. It's God who softens hearts of stone, to hearts of flesh--an absolutely transformation. 

So that even if I never see again those whom I love, if there is at least the knowledge He may deliver...He may save...then there's peace in committing to Him whatever the course need be. 

There is such a feverish pitch to so many things right now--such injustice rampant in the world. And the assault that is being waged just now is spiritual: to doubt all things, to sew discontent and malice and suspicion and bitter resentment and to separate any way possible. 

The enemy comes to steak, kill, and destroy. 

It's one thing to handle a brute force attack. Quite another to endure spiritual assault, from all sides, especially seeing those who are dear being ransacked. And having no power to intervene, personally--but only the ability to defer to God. And to trust Him with all matters.

None of the things which I cherish are mine, except for Christ. Remaining steadfastly focused on that reality is an anchor in the storm: He gave His own life for me, what would He withhold that is needful, then? ...nothing. 

So let us love God first, and submit to Him, so that in the day of trial...we will be preserved. We will endure. We will know Him all the more intimately, trust Him all the more wholeheartedly, and love Him all the more completely...seeing His hand of deliverance and being moved to the very depths...

Please, dear friend. Turn to Christ. Not for the sake of my love, even, but for the sake of His. He has accomplished all things necessary. 

If we are to endure, we must submit to Him. If we are to persevere and press on? We must seek His face. 

Father, have mercy on us, please.