How do you handle overwhelming news?
There are three typical responses to overwhelming news. First, it is to allow it to overwhelm you by hyper-focusing on it. Second, is to do the exact opposite and to attempt to ignore it by burying your head in the sand. Neither response is a healthy response. The third response to overwhelming news is to take it to the Lord and lay it at His feet recognizing the fact that you are not capable of handling it let alone understanding it.
Easier said than done, right? Typically, yes. But after either your freak-out moment or your moment of pulling your head up out of the sand to see if it is safe God will be waiting there for you to take that overwhelming news from you. God is good.
What you see playing out on the news is nothing less than overwhelming.
How can we make sense of all we are seeing play out in the news before us?
Answers can always be found in God’s word. Jesus himself said that these days would come in Matthew 24:6-8.
“You will hear about wars that are being fought. And you will hear stories about other wars beginning. But don’t be afraid. These things must happen before the end comes. Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will be earthquakes in different places. These things are only the beginning of troubles.”
Seeing what Jesus foretold playing out in the news daily can be overwhelming if we allow it. God however does not want us to be overwhelmed. He wants us to know that while the world may seem out of control, nothing is out of His control. God also does not want us to bury our heads in the sand and attempt to ignore the undeniable signs that we are witnessing.
So, what are we to do?
Though these times are difficult it is no reason to be discouraged. We must be the generation that gets to witness the return of Jesus our Lord and Savior! I could not think of a more exciting moment in all human history.
Make sure your heart is right with the Lord. Work diligently to be sure your loved one’s hearts are right with the Lord. Be bold in sharing the Gospel with others. Don’t fear what others may think of you.
In the meantime, do not be naïve about what is happening in the world.
The Bible warns of the “secret power of evil” that is already at work in the world. No doubt what we see in the news can be labeled as nothing short of evil.
How does this fit into what we read in scripture and where we stand in both history and prophecy?
One thing to watch for at the conclusion of this conflict in Israel is the potential of the rebuilding of the temple.
If the temple is rebuilt, it will be celebrated. Do not be fooled this must take place as one of the final things before the return of Jesus and the end of times. We know this because of what we read about the Antichrist and when he will be allowed to come into full power. The Bible tells us about this in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7.
“Don’t be fooled by anything they might say. That day of the Lord will not come until the turning away from God happens. And that day will not come until the Man of Evil appears, the one who belongs to hell. He will stand against and put himself above everything that people worship or think is worthy of worship. He will even go into God’s Temple and sit there, claiming that he is God. I told you before that all these things would happen. Remember? And you know what is stopping that Man of Evil now. He is being stopped now so that he will appear at the right time. The secret power of evil is already working in the world now. But there is one who is stopping that secret power of evil. And he will continue to stop it until he is taken out of the way.”
What is laid out in the Bible cannot fully unfold until the temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. This means while we are getting close, we aren’t there yet.
Is there any hope?
Of course! Read the very next verse, 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
“Then that Man of Evil will appear. But the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath that comes from his mouth. The Lord will come in a way that everyone will see, and that will be the end of the Man of Evil.”
Don’t lose hope when you see the secret power of evil succeeding seemingly at every turn. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed. Don’t bury your head in the sand. We know how the story ends. Rather than living in dismay, count it a blessing to be the generation of believers that will see firsthand the fulfillment of scripture.
