January 2021
David Hixon • January 14, 2021
What now?
What now?
I hesitate to jump into the middle of where we are in America because some of it will be political. As a pastor I usually steered clear of political issues and how much more I want to avoid that as a missionary living in a foreign country. And yet here we are. In less than a week Joe Biden will be sworn in as the next president of the United States. Both houses of the congress will be controlled by a very left-leaning Democrat party. I know some who read this will disagree with me. That’s OK too. I hope you will give me some grace to share what I believe God is having me say here (I try to keep many of my thoughts off social media) and I will give you grace if you disagree.
Just today I read Dr. James Dobson’s monthly newsletter called “Where Do We Go From Here?” In that article he articulates what he believes to be some of the challenges we will now face as a country under the new leadership of President Biden. Let me share some of that here:
We can infer from what they have told us that the years ahead will bring more regulation, less freedom, more taxation, less religious liberty, more socialism, less democracy, more funds for abortion, less support for the sanctity of human life, less funding for the military, more illegal immigration, more restrictions on speech, less patriotism, more wasteful spending, less support for families, more regulations on business, more appeasement of China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, less support for the electoral college, trillions more dollars for climate nonsense, more LGBTQ propaganda, less moral compunction, more governmental corruption, less oversight of elections, more "cancel culture," fewer police officers, more gun control, and less government of the people, by the people and for the people. We can also anticipate quick passage of the horrendous "Equality Act."
I could probably add a few more things to the list. You might think some of these are ridiculous, but then again did you ever think you would see a sitting president impeached twice and silenced by big tech? We live in unprecedented times with unpredictable final outcomes. All we can do is guess on what is to come based on the desires previously expressed by members of the new regime. I believe tough days are ahead, but we have never been promised the easy road. We have been fortunate to live for so many years in a country where we have been free to express our opinions, provide for our families, and worship how we see fit. The problem is that we have grown soft and comfortable and have come to believe that this is how life has always been and always will be. If we look at history, we realize the time we live in is extraordinary in its ease and comfort and safety. These things (and more) were largely absent for the average person for most all of history. So, it will be very tough to go backwards, but (without trying to sound too gloom and doom) I believe that is where we are headed.
Dr. Dobson goes on to quote scripture that is extremely important for us today:
Isaiah 40:28-31 gives us comfort. It says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
In the newsletter Dr. Dobson also refers to a letter he received from James Gottry, vice president of public policy at JDFI. He says:
On the other hand, we have lost nothing that we need because His Word tells us in 2 Peter 1:2-4 that grace and peace are ours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus, and that His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life! It also says that through His great and precious promises, we may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world [which we are certainly witnessing!] caused by evil desires.
He goes on:
And even as the world around us grows darker, I rejoice that His light—which the world may see in us—grows brighter by contrast. Because of that, I have hope that this earthly loss may yet result in a great eternal gain! And for that reason, I feel invigorated. Because in dark days like these, we have no chariots or horses to trust in; the only place where we can place our trust is in the name of the Lord our God. He is always the only One who can deliver.
And the final words which stuck with me:
We can't preserve righteousness in the culture (as 2 Timothy reminds us, evil men will proceed from bad to worse). But we can bring Jesus to the culture, and we can pray for that spiritual awakening.
In this time when it seems for many that hope is lost, let us continue to put our trust in God. Though the days ahead may be dark we indeed are called to be light in the darkness. I saw a video recently where someone built a small room that was totally sealed. And then he painted the entire room with this special black paint that is 99.4% saturated. The light was almost totally absorbed by the darkness. When a light was turned on in the room the only thing that was lit was whatever was facing directly at the light. Everything else was extinguished and in total darkness. The corners of the small room could not be identified visually. Nothing. Only what was directly facing the light. May that be a lesson for us. As darkness surrounds us, the only light others will see is what we reflect as we keep our face pointing towards the One True Light, Jesus. This is our calling in the midst of darkness. Missionaries around the world have experienced this darkness for decades and centuries. It most likely is coming to America as well. I pray we as believers are ready!!
Let me add here at the end a caveat. Even if you believe what the left is proposing will be good for the country and disagree with me, you still need to be ready for the inevitable change that is coming. The call to be light in a dark world hasn’t changed. The world has always been and always will be essentially a spiritually dark place. The challenge remains! Are you ready to be light?
“What brings us to tears, will lead us to grace. Our pain is never wasted.” – Bob Goff