People have joked that the year 2020 has been one roller coaster ride after another. People have even joked about skipping the year 2020 altogether.
But I think 2020 has become a pivotal year. Up until this point, we here in America have been, perhaps, too comfortable. The year 2020, rather than a roller coaster, has been an awakening.
The first awakening came on the heels of a deadly virus. Through the Coronavirus we learned that we are not as safe here in America as we thought we were. Despite all our technologies and modern medicines and forward thinking, our entire nation was upended by something we can’t even see. And all those freedoms and rights that we hold so dear can be taken from us in the blink of an eye if the situation warrants it. The Coronavirus woke us up to our need to put our hope in something far bigger than “chariots and horses”.
The second awakening came with the three strangled words of a Black man, “I can’t breathe.” And the white men who swore to protect us, all of us, simply stood there and watched him die. This should wake us up to the fact that the land of the free and the home of the brave that we hold so dear in our hearts as white men and women, is actually the land of oppression and hatred for our brothers and sisters of color. Unfortunately it has always been this way, but some of us are just now waking up to the reality that we have not been as loving, or as aware, as we ought to have been.
It is the year 2020 and we are not okay.
And the brutal reality is, we may not be okay in 2021.
We may not be okay, but we shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus told us to expect this.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:6-13)
We are living in the end days, the days between Jesus’ ascension and his return. Jesus told us to expect this kind of suffering and violence and hatred and death. We should not be surprised by it.
But that doesn’t mean that we simply allow it to happen. That, maybe, if we sit by and do nothing and allow things to get really bad that will somehow hasten Jesus’ return. No, we shouldn’t be surprised by these troublesome days, but we are also called to pursue justice and righteousness in the midst of them.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
This means that we do not go into hiding when a deadly virus comes knocking on our door. We reach out to our neighbors in love while protecting them by staying socially distant. We don’t simply shake our heads and sigh when another innocent Black man is killed because of the color of his skin. We stand in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters, push back against our own ignorance, and speak out when we see people being mistreated.
We are in the midst of a battle. We battle against our circumstances and our own sinful hearts in order to love our neighbors well and stand up for the just treatment of all people.
Don’t let these troubling days catch you off guard. Prepare for battle and carry a big sword.
Two-Edged Sword
I don’t know how you’re being called to fight back against the Coronavirus. I don’t know how God is calling you to fight for justice for people of color.
But I do know where the first battle needs to be waged. It needs to be waged on the turf of our own hearts.
When we look at the world and wonder what’s gone so wrong, we need to be able to answer ourselves with the truth: we have gone wrong. We are the problem. And we begin to find the solution by examining our own hearts.
The first step in taking a stand in troubling circumstances is to cry out with David:
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:24)
What we’re looking for when we examine our own hearts are the grievous ways within us.
We look for fear. We look for misplaced trust. We look for hatred. We look for racism. We look for ignorance.
And then we put these things to death, ruthlessly and without compromise, through repentance and prayer, with our eyes fixed on the One who payed dearly to purchase our forgiveness.
And the best way to find the grievous ways within us is with a sword in hand. A sword that is ready to slay wickedness as soon as it is exposed.
Do you carry a sharp sword?
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Hebrews 6:13,17)
To withstand these evil days we need to have a firm grasp on this sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Carry this sword wisely and well. Use it frequently on your own heart. And then use it to slay the lies that the world is feeding you.
If I’ve learned anything in the year 2020 it’s that the world is full of lies. Lies about the Coronavirus. Lies about race relations. Lies I’ve told myself.
It’s becoming harder and harder to discern the truth. Again, Jesus told us to expect this. We should not be surprised by the lies we hear and believe.
But we also need to push back against the lies. And we do this by wielding the sword of truth. To wield this sword we must be firmly planted in the word of truth.
Planting ourselves in God’s Word is certainly not where the battle ends. We must put God’s Word into action if there is to be any change in us and the world. But planting ourselves firmly in God’s Word is where the battle begins.
To slay the sin in our own hearts, to fight against real lies, to see the changes we long to see, we need more than casual, sporadic Bible reading.
We need to wield the sword of the Spirit by taking up residence in the Word of God.
Change begins here. By exposing the sin in our hearts through the Word of God.
We are warriors, friends, and our souls and the souls of those we love are at stake. Let’s equip ourselves for the battle of our lives by putting on the full armor of God and sharpening our swords.