DANGEROUS TIMES

“Sailing was…dangerous” ( Acts 27:9).

I started writing this article a couple of months ago but the Lord would not give me the freedom to post it on my blog. So I continued to watch, pray and make notes…until now.

On January 25, 2011, Egypt exploded in protest and very quickly Hosni Mubarak, the leader of the nation, was removed from office. This protest, that seemed to come from nowhere, jumped to other Moslem nations including Yemen, Libya and Bahrain. Now the whole Arab/Moslem world is on edge.

This unrest should be of great concern and not just because it affects the price of oil. It is into these kinds of protests (that often begin peacefully) that radical groups insert themselves and push forward their agendas. This is a time for followers of Jesus to be vigilant in prayer.

Last fall in the U.S., we watched an amazing message being sent to Washington when dozens of liberals lost their seats in the House and the Senate. There was a tremendous sense in the country that, “We sent Washington a message and now we are going to get results.” Jobs, the economy, and a smaller, more responsible government seemed to be foremost in people’s minds.

It was only two years ago that the first Tea Party events were held and now they are being looked at as having made a major impact on this past election. Anger is an important element that helped the Tea Party movement rise and we need to be aware of it. There is a great deal of anger in our nation—anger at the direction in which our country is being taken; anger at the wastefulness of government spending; anger at the massive indebtedness of our country; anger at the illegal immigration mess in our nation.

The apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:1, “In the last days perilous times shall come.” Perilous means harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, hard to deal with. In the verses immediately following, the apostle lists eighteen characteristics of unsaved people during “the last days.” The picture these characteristics paint is of a self-centered, unhappy and angry people.

Why did I use the title “Dangerous Days” above? What I understand from Scripture is that the days ahead will be volatile. What we saw happen in Egypt was an eruption of anger—and angry people are dangerous people. I believe we are going to see more and more explosions of anger that will begin as peaceful protests and then explode into rage, followed by violence and death.

If the new mix of Democrats and Republicans in government does what it usually does after an election and goes back to business as usual, I believe we are going to see an explosion of anger like never before. Frankly, I don’t personally believe we are going to see much change in the direction and policies of our government.

The coming flood of anger, I believe, will eventuate in the marginalizing of both political parties. What will rise on both sides of the political spectrum will be more radical than the current Tea Party and MoveOn organizations. On one side will be radical liberal socialism and on the other radical hyper-conservatism. Both sides will use whatever tactics necessary to sell their messages, including violent demonstrations. The hyper-radicalism will begin to make a way for something we have thought America could never see…the possibility of dictatorship and the rise of anti-Christ forces!

How should we respond to dangerous times? In Acts 12, Herod the king began to harass the church. First he had James, the brother of John, killed and then he imprisoned Peter. These were tough and difficult days for the new church as their leaders were being killed and imprisoned. So how did they respond? “Peter was….in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” and Peter was miraculously set free (Acts 12:5).

In Acts 27 Paul was on his way to fulfill his destiny in Rome and “sailing was….dangerous” (27:9). Paul’s ship was hit by a violent storm and Paul encouraged all on aboard “to take nourishment, for this is for your survival” (27:34). In the natural, he was saying, “You must eat to keep up your strength.” In the spiritual, Paul was saying to us, “You must pray and stay in the Word so that you keep your spirit strengthened.”

We must be on guard against the inertia that comes from the human spirit when it senses there is nothing you can do, the situation is beyond you. God’s people need to stay in the Word and go to prayer like the first church did: “Constant prayer was offered to God.”

Here is a promise from the Word that the Lord quickened to my heart as I prayed about this article. This is nourishment for us when the “sailing is dangerous.”

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:1a-2 NLT)