All Too Clear

I’m writing from the Anglican Future Conference in Melbourne, where we’ve gathered to think about how to proclaim Christ with ‘truth and grace in an uncertain future.’ Though it rained as I reached the city, so there’s limits to the uncertainty...

That said, it is true that our society continues to change at an ever-increasing pace, and the foundations that were so solid a decade or two ago are not merely weakened, but in many cases washed away. It’s very easy to feel swamped by the forces that seek to repress the gospel, whether explicitly or just by accident.

So it was encouraging to be pointed to 2 Chronicles 20, where poor Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, receives the news that a massive horde has already invaded his territory and is coming for him. He has no chance at matching them, and he is terrified. He turns to God instinctively, trusting in him completely, and God delivers him in extraordinary circumstances. God was with his people, no matter how many surrounded them.

In the same way, Jesus was afraid on that last night in Gethsemane, but he too looked to God for rescue. Although he was surrounded by his enemies, and deserted by his friends, God did not leave him in the grave, but delivered him from death. God was with his Son.

And so we too can have confidence, no matter how hostile our culture appears. Be clear-sighted about the threats, and clear-sighted about the saviour: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)