Living on our island nation (yes, I know it’s a big island), we are to some extent shielded from what is happening in the rest of the world. That may be just as well. 2012 has seen many global issues that make the future of the world uncertain. The Americans face a ‘fiscal cliff’, the Europeans are mired in debt, the Arab spring became a winter, drug cartels rule in South America, and intolerance, violence, and poverty are as endemic as ever.
In the midst of such a world, how can we stay strong as a people, as a church, as a nation? Do we presume too readily our comfort, our prosperity and our future?
I haven’t been in a cyclone, but have seen plenty of storms. It’s interesting what the howling wind does to the trees: branches blown off and strewn around, even whole trees up-rooted. Unless the roots go deep, the wind blows them away.
In Matthew 7 Jesus talks about wise and foolish builders. One builds a house on rock, another on sand. All looks the same still the storm comes, then the foundations get revealed. The house on rock stays strong, the house on sand disappears.
Psalm 1 tells us that we are blessed if we don’t walk in the way of the wicked, or sit in the company of mockers, but that we delight in the law of God and meditate upon it day and night. When we do that, it says, we will be like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season and prospering in what we do.
What are you going to do in 2013 so that your roots go deep? How are you going to stand strong with faith and integrity in a world shaking with fear and uncertainty?
This is a year for putting our roots firmly in the word of God. Jesus tells us, “heaven and earth will pass away, my words will never pass away” (Matt 24:35). Can I encourage you this year to join me in using one of our Bible reading plans and using a Life Journal that we have available, that we may sew deeply into our lives that word which keeps us strong. In so doing, your life will become more and more a beacon of light which will show the way for others.