Concern

"LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever." (Psalm 131:1-3 NKJ)

It's no longer front page news. We seem to be tiring of recurring political sound bites. Perhaps we have become desensitized to government shenanigans. In any case, public alarm has calmed or concern has shifted and news moguls have shuffled you-know-what to quieter levels of reporting. Perhaps we have realized that "great matters" are "too profound" for us.

Although, here at the basic level of society, home and family, we are dealing with youth kidnappings, murders and suicides, lost income, drug addictions, and disrupted Head Start programs. It is amazing how concerned we are over national and world issues -- all of which are important -- but forget that families involved in front page news are dealing with sorrows at the deepest level. While the larger disasters may occur far or near, many people are concerned with their own, private disasters.

It is these "closer-to-home" sorrows that should concern us and our churches. Like the Black-capped Chickadee, the Church (flesh & blood Christians) must sound the alarm of danger in the air. There is a predator nearby whose only goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. And he hasn't shutdown his operations, and he uses national debt issues to create panic and chaos!

According to various studies, Chickadees are bold in their warnings towards potential dangers such as small owls or hawks, and will loudly proclaim the predator's presence and position. A similar level of concern from the Church might serve our communities well.

Don't worry, I am not proposing "fire-and-brimstone" proclamations, except where the Holy Spirit initiates them, but the fields are ripe all ready to harvest. So with the Spirit's help and guidance, we can minister to family and community concerns.

But we must calm our souls and access the peace of God that is beyond human understanding. Our churches, the families around us, and our communities need somebody to be cool, calm and collected. Our world needs Christian leaders who, like Paul, can stand and say, "I am God's servant. I belong to him and his angel stands by me. Don't be afraid! God's will must be achieved" (Acts 27:23-25 my paraphrase).

We can be like a weaned toddler who is comforted in mother's arms. Our God controls all and nothing occurs anywhere in the universe without his permission. We may not comprehend his permissions, but our hope is in him from this time forth and forever! He is our shepherd and we shall not lack anything (Psalm 23). He has promised that we will not be tempted beyond what we are able, but with the temptation he will also make the way of escape, that we may be able to bear it (1Corinthians 10:13 NKJ).

No matter what is occurring, we are comforted in his arms. And we Christians need to understand that while "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal," the carnal strongholds plastered across the front pages of our newspapers need some "mighty in God" hands, as well as comforting intercessory support, taking hold to pull them down.

Dear Father, thank you for warning us of danger and making a way of escape. Empower us to minister to the disenchanted, the disenfranchised, and those discouraged by uncontrollable circumstances. I pray this in the name of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. AMEN

Pray for your family and community concerns today,