Jesus told us there’d be days like these,
Yes, He said we’d see the signs,
Jesus told us so we’d know when we’re running out of time.
— from “Jesus Told Us” (a song I’m working on)
Yesterday, I tackled the subject of “fake news” and the confusion that comes with people basically creating their own reality.
Things have become overwhelming these days, especially when it comes to determining what is true and what isn’t. Leaks of information — sometimes done with the noblest of intentions, sometimes done by people who get a charge out of spilling someone else’s guts — have cast doubt on statements and motivations of people in power. People tend to retreat into their own comfort zones and look for “news” sources that fit that paradigm.
What is truth?
Let’s accept, for a moment, that Jesus is what He says He is: the Way, the Truth and the Life. Now what?
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’
“And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'”
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
— Luke 18:1-8
The unjust judge gave the widow what she wanted to get her off his back. Jesus’ point is, if the judge can do that for less than righteous motives, God will certainly give justice to those who keep bugging Him.
And if we ever needed to bug God, it’s now.
Read Matthew 24, in which Jesus spells out for the Disciples what the signs will be, preceding His coming. He tells them — and us — that whoever endures these tribulations to the end will be saved. It’s all around us now: I don’t think anyone can deny that events have been piling on top of one another at a rate never before seen in history; we’ve been warned this would happen and we’ve also been told what to do in response.
Pray.
Lift up your friends, your neighbours, people you don’t particularly like; pray for people living on the street, pray for people in mansions, pray for elected leaders — even the ones you didn’t vote for; pray for the people in uniform, who put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe. Even as you walk down the street, through the grocery store, sitting at your desk: keep part of your mind working on prayer to God.
That’s what Paul means when he says we should “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I have to reiterate that praying is not a “roll over and play dead” response; nor is it an escape, or a “coping mechanism for Christians”. It’s very real, and the most powerful tool in existence.
So in this new age of fake news and do-it-yourself reality, when we’re hard-pressed to determine what is true, we need to remember that we’re not alone in a dory: we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, walking beside us, showing us all things.
Two Minutes for Cross-Checking! 