The Recipe for Enduring the World’s Madness

By David Ettinger 

Getting Worse

If you think things are bad now, hold tight. Things are going to get worse. Way worse.

In the past 20-plus years, Western culture has witnessed upheavals we could not have imagined when the century began. At least, we could not have envisioned the extremities to which the upheavals would reach.

The violence afflicting our cities is shocking. The war being waged against our police is unimaginable. The perversion being promoted within our military is reprehensible. The gender madness infiltrating our schools and homes is calamitous. And the blatant depravity oozing from our TVs and computers is wickedness at its worse.

And yet, if you read your Bible, none of this should surprise you. The apostle Paul warned of the coming debauchery (see Romans Chapter 1 and 1 Timothy 4:1-5). It is all the handiwork of Satan – the “great dragon … the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

This great deceiver – this “ruler of the world” (John 12:31) and “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) – is working overtime weaving the web of his vile deception, and more and more of Earth’s denizens are being entangled in it.

Standing Firm

As we race ever nearer to the end of this era of human history and the return of Christ, Satan’s efforts will grow more deceptive, depraved, and dangerous.

And yes, this deception will impact believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Heavenly Father, however, has not abandoned us. He has given us His glorious Holy Word from which we can learn Truth, know Truth, and live by Truth.

Also in God’s glorious Word is counsel – counsel on how believers should equip themselves to stand firm against “all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16).

One of those gems of counsel is found in Psalm 27, which closes with these words: “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord” (v. 14).

The Hebrew word for “be strong” is chazaq, which means “be courageous and confident.” This admonition stands in sharp contrast to the fear in which so many Christians today live.

Yes, the world is becoming ever more frightening, but God wants us to stand strong in Him. He wants us to be chazaq, that is, courageous and confident. He wants us to resolve to be chazaq regardless of the chaos surrounding us.

But God doesn’t expect us to turn on the chazaq switch without reason. This is why the last verse of Psalm 27 is bolstered by the greatest assurance the believer can possess. Verses 1 and 2 read:

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom should I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom should I dread?
When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

David, the Psalms author, was speaking literally as he faced flesh-and-blood men who sought to snuff out his life. Yet, he threw his vast worries, fears, and concerns upon God’s shoulders and commended his life to the Almighty’s firm hands.

For the most part, Western believers do not face physical death from the enemies of God – not yet, at least – but we do face ever-increasing spiritual attack. Nonetheless, God assures us that He is our salvation, and as such, we should fear no man or demonic being. God assures us that He is our defense, and as such, we have nothing to dread.

The ultimate reason for this is that God has assured us that when we die, we have a place in Heaven prepared for us by His very hand (John 14:1-6). It doesn’t matter how we die; whether peacefully or by martyrdom, glorious eternity awaits.

God indeed is our salvation – our soul’s salvation – and because of this, we are to “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord” (v. 14).

We will experience fear, but we are not to live in it. When fear hits, we are to firm up. We are to be decisive. We are to resolve to be courageous and confident. We are to find our chazaq in the God who is our light and salvation.

And in all things, wait for the Lord. He’s with us. He knows. He cares. He’s watching. And He assures us that there is not a force in Earth or Hell that can lay a finger on our precious souls!

And this, Christian, is the recipe for enduring the world’s madness!

David Ettinger was born and raised in a Jewish family in New York. After moving to New Mexico as an adult, he suffered through many trials. The nudge of the Holy Spirit caused him to examine his heart and in 1986 he surrendered his life to Jesus and has walked with Him ever since. David holds a BA, and MA, in English from New Mexico State University. He began his journalism career writing for The Roundup, the university paper. After graduation he became the sportswriter for the El Paso Times. He has held many other positions as both writer and editor with major publications. David is active in providing his skills with Zion’s Hope, Inc., in Winter Garden, Florida. His publications include Lifeway publications, Single Parent magazine (Focus on the Family), Zion’s Fire magazine, and Real Life magazine. In addition, he served as managing editor for Zion’s Fire and Real Life. David’s book, Overcomers: 30 Stories of Triumph from the Bible, is available online. David is proud of his son and grandson. Please read his testimony here, on his website. 

Feature Image taken from David Ettinger website