What is the Need of the Hour?
Posted on January 25, 2018 by Graeme Wilson in Freedom Fighters
In following the coverage of Hurricane Harvey, much has been said of the devastation left in its wake… ruined homes, stranded families, and impoverished communities. One would think that the need of the hour is money… and many have answered that need with millions giving to help. But is money enough to meet the need of the heart? One video that brought tears to my eyes was of a shelter with families covering every inch of space, clutching what little they had left of their lives… yet they were singing praises to our God. It reminded me of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail singing and praising their God!
Many of those interviewed about their losses in the hurricane said that it was just ‘stuff’ which they can purchase again, but they were really thankful that their families were still together. This is true and something we usually only realize in ‘the storms of life,’ so yes money is needed, but it’s not the ‘need of the hour.’ The Word I began thinking about was ‘perseverance.’ I remember during ‘Sandy’ we lost power for a week. I think back to what it took to maintain the generator and house both day and night, and the perseverance it took to press forward as the days dragged on. I am thankful we didn’t lose the house as many in ‘Harvey’ have, and it seems to me that they will need a greater perseverance to press forward in the aftermath of that storm. So maybe the ‘need of the hour’ is what will give us Hope to sustain our perseverance…? If you have ever lived through a tragic situation, an acute or terminal illness of a loved one, a loss of life or property, or a severe conflict, you know how draining it is and how tired and ready to give up you become; the central or core ‘need of the hour’ then must be what gives and sustains Hope, that which lifts our spirit and makes us able to sing in ‘the midst of life’s storms.’
Dawson Trotman wrote that what generates the kind of hope that will energize perseverance is, “an army of Believers, dedicated to Jesus Christ, who believe not only that He is God, but that He can fulfill every promise He has ever made, and that there isn’t anything too hard for Him.” It is on this sustaining truth “that our God is able to fulfill every promise”, that we are able to press on, knowing with certainty that He will meet the needs of our heart, by which we can also then face every other circumstance.
The promises of God trump the problems of life, and it is when I am certain of who God is and what He has promised, that I am able to stand firm in any storm or battle, obeying His Word, and doing what pleases Him… living by faith.
The ‘need of the hour,’ no matter the circumstance, is then to ‘know’ the One who created and sustains all things; who knows your heart and ‘has provided’ for your every need… even at the cost of His Son as payment for your sin; and who has promised to never leave you nor forsake you.
Jesus has set the example we are to follow here, for the writer of Hebrews tells us, “for the Joy set before Him (that is obeying the Father), He ‘endured’ the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has ‘endured’ such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
(Heb 12:2-3)
What is the ‘need of the hour?’ It is ‘to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding. And in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” (Prov 3:5-6)
Choose wisely….
Praying U choose Christ today
Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.
The Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 38-40| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here
Daily Quote: “I’d rather die in the will of God than to live outside of it.” – Jack Hyles
This Week’s Verse to Memorize:
A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Psalm 33:17
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