A Peaceful, Prosperous Future With A Happy Ending

There are a lot of things in our life that want to provoke us into a reaction of fear. Change is a big one. There is so much fear that surrounds anything that is different from what has become our normal. And we do not have to look far to see that change.

The pandemic has changed almost everything for us but that is simply another layer to the shifting society of our lifetime. Many of these shifts are positive and have been overdue, such as the issue of gender and race equality. Some of the old mindsets must be reset and come into agreement with our Father's heart. Then there are other social changes that are in direct opposition to Father's heart. However, there is one fear provoking change that we all have in common and has been with us since the fall of humanity.

We are getting older. 

Our mind and body is in a constant state of change. First it is the change of growth but then we reach a stage where age means decline. The decline is often worse than it needs to be simply because we do not make the effort to look after ourselves. We wait far too late and only start taking it seriously when there has been some kind of health crisis in our body.

It is no different for our brains. After 50 years of age the processing power of our brain is not as fast but then again it doesn't need to be. By that stage we have accumulated so much experience that we respond from experience faster than we would have by processing. But this then explains why we struggle with any changes to what has always been normal for us. Changes need to be processed and because of this we need to exercise our brain to slow down the decline.

For citizens of the Kingdom of God, this time of aging should not be filled with fear. In fact, no change should ever provoke us to fear. We understand that the world will always be in a state of change because it is searching for something that can only be found in Father but the world lives in a state of rebellion. The answer is there but they would rather chase after shadows of truth than actual truth. However, citizens of the Kingdom have a foundation that is built on the Rock that never changes.

I use this wording only because it is part of our Christian vocabulary but in essence it means that we live by the unchanging principles of the Eternal One whose attributes never change because he is incapable of change. This means that as people governed by the principalities of this world begin to wonder if there is anything after death we have the assurance that the best is yet to come. 

What should these days look like for us then? Consider Psalm 37:

"But you can tell who are the blameless and spiritually mature. What a different story with them! The godly ones will have a peaceful, prosperous future with a happy ending."

Our ending should be the best bits of our life in this world, regardless of our circumstances. It is at this stage that we should understand that Jesus completed all the work and has brought us into his rest. We have learned what it is to trust the Lord in the best of times and the worse of times. We have learned to live a life of surrender and one that is not filled with condemnation. We know what it is to walk every day in the gifts of peace and joy. We have learned that relationship trumps situations. We have learned the freedom of forgiveness and the joy of celebrating other people's victories. We have learned that life is better as the supporting actor than the center stage star. We have learned what it is to walk humbly before our God and that our responsibility here has always been "To love and value our neighbour as we love and value ourself".

Ours is a happy ending because we know the truth of the reality that seems hidden from this world:

"But the Lord will be the Saviour of all who love him. Even in their time of trouble God will live in them as strength. Because of their faith in him, their daily portion will be a Father's help and deliverance from evil. This is true for all who turn to hide themselves in him!"

The ending is not a time of fear so don't let the enemy use fear to disturb your peace. Rejoice in the faith you have been given in the Holy One, your Father who will carry you to your last breath and then will bring you in to the better times to come. Now is the time to stand in your witness of his faithfulness, of his strength, of his joy and his peace. Now is the time to plant those seeds of encouragement and hope for those who will stay behind. Now is the time of worship, of praise, of sharing your testimony to a world that is desperate for hope.

Rejoice child of God. Take deep breaths in his atmosphere of peace. Relax. Rest. Rejoice. Change is not a thing you fear because the greatest thing in all of eternity will never change, Father's love for you. Nothing else matters. Rejoice!