Watch, Pray, Stand. What to do when the end times hit? Keep the faith.
At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’…Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:25,26,36.
When it looks like your world, or the actual world is coming to some sort of an end, don’t be surprised. Jesus said that hard times will come, and after that he will return visibly to finish off all evil, and to make all things new and right. So the first thing we care called to do as Christians, is look through our ‘faith’ eyes to see and interpret what we see. When are having a tough time, it is just so easy to look at ourselves, and only see what is wrong with us. Then we write ourselves off as bad people or failures. That is never how our Heavenly Father sees us. It is always with a heart of love, compassion and forgiveness. Jesus says we are far more than just what is wrong with us.
Pray. Be as honest as you can about what we are experiencing and how that is impacting you. Put that into a prayer – it’s as good a way of praying as any other. Then, see what God does with your prayer. Listen for the response. Is there some sense that you’ve been heard, and God will act? Is there a warmth for you and a deep listening? Does God do some diversional therapy with you, and point you to something new? There may be a sense that God is getting something ready deep inside you.
Stand. Don’t just give in and slump down, even to those things that seem unbeatable. Find a place of secret resistance deep inside you, where you do trust that God is good and that something good will come out of what you are going through.
Pastor Michael Mayer
