Lord of the Storm
Looming energy and cost of living crisis, almost every day a fresh terror plot revealed, our armed forces underfunded and woefully short of even the most basic equipment, a seemingly ever-escalating threat of attack – possibly overt from Russia, and covert from China – the alarming rise in anti-Semitism, the failure of government and the police to take proper enforcement measures against terrorist suspects, and a progressive, what feels deliberate, undermining of the UK’s heritage, identity, culture and faith … it really does feel like Armageddon might be just around the corner. So what does this mean for beleaguered Christians? As everything seemingly falls apart, how should we be feeling and reacting? Where is God in all of this?
In the Bible, amazingly, God has not only told us what happened to bring about our downfall, but foretold and chronicled His plan for our redemption. The Bible in fact comes full circle – with the story of how God wins us back in between. We may feel these are uncomfortable and even distressing times, but from the word go, God has told us there’s a spiritual battle going on, which would not be won easily – but which would be won. In the Bible, we see laid out God’s promise to defeat Satan, break his hold, and bring us safely home.
In fact, from Genesis, with the story of the Fall, through to Revelation – warning us of the battles in heaven and on earth, ahead of our final redemption – the whole of human history has been laid bare.
What is happening in the world now is part of God’s battleplan. Evil is being increasingly forced into the open and exposed. And just like Nazi Germany, after the D-Day landings in WW2, evil now is fighting for its existence and we can expect the battle to be intense.
But God is in control.
Throughout Scripture, and most especially in Revelation, God has warned us of the chaos of the last days, as His armies gather in the heavens to reclaim, finally and forever, the kingdom won by His Son. He has warned us, so that in these times of challenge and the suffering that is to come, we might stand.
God is both Lord and architect of this present Storm. But ours is the fault that has generated this chaos and allowed the storm to rage. In our hubris, we have rejected God and claimed control for ourselves, taking authority over life and death, and even attempting to re-create creation. And as a result, God has withdrawn His protection and is allowing all that is now happening, so that even now, at this late hour before His return, men and women might be given opportunity to turn back and repent … and be saved from eternal damnation. It really is as stark as that. Follow the devil and be damned, or choose Christ, and live.
All that is happening now – the growing aggression and falling apart of society, and the unprecedented upheavals in the natural world – are giving men and women one last chance to repent, and be saved.
The survival of the UK now lies in balance. While we have kept faith, the Lord God has protected, defended and delivered us from invasion and all attack, whether from within or without, while in His mercy, He entrusted to us one of the greatest empires in the history of the world. Christ is still our Sovereign Lord, and His will remains to help. With one word, He could still this present storm and deliver us – but He will not do so while we remain in rebellion.
His word to the nation today is, repent and turn back. Cast out evil from your midst, and you will yet again see the deliverance of the Lord. But persist in your arrogant rejection, and you will fall.
And to those of us who know and follow Him, He says, ‘Do not despair, and do not be afraid … only stand. And you will see the glory of the Lord.’
This present suffering is nothing compared with the glory that is to come.