Each year brings new stories of catastrophic events. In 2013, we watched as bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon. Firefighters died in Arizona while trying to save others from a raging wildfire. An Indiana bus crashed, killing a youth pastor and his pregnant wife. A woman crashed her car into a White House barricade before being shot and killed by police. The U.S. government partially shut down. The Syrian civil war raged on. And the list of terrible stories of sadness and lives lost goes on and on.
Perhaps tragedy struck your home, family, or life in a personal way last year. If so, it can be tempting to look to 2014 with fear and dread. Will even worse things happen? Even though more trials will come your way this year, you can face the future in faith knowing God is loving, sovereign, and the Provider of ultimate hope.
Jesus, encouraging the disciples not to fear when faced with persecution, provides you with a glimpse of the protection, care, and sovereignty of God: "Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don't be afraid, therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29-31).
Jesus reminds us that God is mindful of man (Psalm 8:4). He is sovereign — knowing even when two sparrows are sold for a penny. How much more will He care for you?
Fear Not
You don't have to fear because a loving God who sovereignly reigns over the events of your life cares for you. He is good, and though He doesn't promise that you'll live a carefree life — on the contrary He graciously warns you that trials will come (1 Peter 4:12) — He does promise to finish the good work He began (Philippians 1:6). He promised a Savior who would bear your grief, carry your sorrows, be wounded for your transgressions; and crushed for your iniquities (Isaiah 53: 4-5). Your hope and peace are found in Jesus.
You can look to the future, and even to the possibilities of danger and disaster, not as one who is uninformed. You're informed; you know the truth of the gospel, and you know that there is life after death. You live by faith and with hope and grieve with hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). You don't have to fear the worst for 2014. Trust God's sovereign hand, and pray that whatever comes your way, He will fulfill His promise that it would be for your good and His glory.
This article is courtesy of HomeLife Magazine.