Unprecedented Times Call For….
Amram and Jochebed were residents of Egypt centuries ago. Their people lived in bondage and worked as slaves. At one point their government leaders became fearful the Hebrews were becoming too numerous and powerful, so they ordered all the male Hebrew babies to be killed. The order hit home for this couple when they gave birth to a son. Amram and Jochebed were living in unprecedented times.
David was the youngest son of a man named Jesse. He lived at a time when his people were at war with the Philistines who had a champion named Goliath. This elite soldier was over 9 feet tall and had a confirmed kill record that was unmatched by anyone of his day. Goliath taunted God’s people morning and evening for 40 days with this challenge: “You send your best man to fight me in a ‘winner take all’ battle!” . No one was willing to take him up on that challenge. You might say they were living in unprecedented times.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were God-fearing young men living in Babylonian exile. They went to Babylonian Schools, had Babylonian employment, and understood Babylonian culture. The ruler of the day, Nebuchadnezzar, built a golden idol and decreed that everyone was to worship it when certain music was played. The penalty for disobeying was being cast into a fiery furnace. You might say Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were living in unprecedented times.
The good news in each of these stories is that they faced their unprecedented times with unprecedented faith!
Amram and Jochebed hid their baby boy for a time and then put in a basket to float in the Nile River. God directed that basket to Pharaoh’s daughter, who had mercy on the baby and raised him as her own. By the way, that boy’s name was Moses, the one who grew up to oppose Pharaoh and lead God’s people out of slavery!
David heard the taunts of Goliath, which included cursing the God of Israel, and reported for duty to King Saul. This young boy faced off with a well-armed, experienced warrior and defeated him with a sling, a fist full of stones, and heart filled with faith!
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to bend a knee or bow a head to any god other than the One, True God of Heaven. This enraged the king, who had them bound and cast into a furnace turned up 7 times hotter than usual. God honored their obedience by sparing their lives and showing Nebuchadnezzar who is really in charge!
My friends, we are living in unprecedented times. A pandemic is still present and reached every corner of the world. An undercurrent of civil unrest still flows through our land as some peacefully cry out for true justice, which is good, and others riot, which is bad and only causing more harm. And to top it all off, this is an Election Year!
These unprecedented times need to be met with unprecedented faith! How do you have that kind of faith in this kind of times? Let me offer these things:
Read the Word of God. Paul reminds us that, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17 It is good and helpful to read articles and books and listen to sermons and lessons, but the best thing you can do to grow your faith is read God’s word for yourself. This takes some time and commitment, but it is worth it!
Remember what God has done for you in the past. After Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, there were good times and bad times. It always amazed me as I read those stories that when the bad times came, the people wanted to go back to Egypt! How quickly they forgot how bad Egypt really was and how good God had been to them! If I am honest, I can do that, too. I have to be intentional during the bad times to remember all that God has done for me. In times when I lacked money, He has provided! In times when I’ve been sick, He has brought healing! In times when my heart has been broken, He has dried my tears! When I take the time to think about it, He has ALWAYS come through. And that helps my faith today!
Remind others of God’s faithfulness. Years ago, I had Dr. John Conley hold a revival at the church I was pastoring. This man was one of my “Heroes of Faith”. I was thrilled for my congregation to hear him proclaim God’s Word, but what blessed me the most was the conversations he and I had over lunch during that week. Dr. Conley told me of struggles he had as a man, a husband, a father, and a minister. He spoke of very real temptations that came from some of the most unlikely of places. Most importantly, he told me how God saw him through those struggles and made him better through the process. My faith was strengthened because of this man was willing to tell me these things that didn’t get shared openly. God has seen you through some things that others may need to know about. You might help their faith by telling them your story.
We are not the first people to be living in unprecedented times and we won’t be the last. May God help us to face these unprecedented times with Unprecedented Faith!
Bro. Ray
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