Ron Hutchcraft Ministries: "Scary World"

S C A R Y W O R L D

By Ron Hutchcraft

I had only stopped at a local convenience store to pick up a newspaper. As usual, I fired off a friendly "How'ya doing?" to the clerk. She didn't give me a usual answer. "Scared," she replied with wide eyes. Then pointing to my newspaper, she said, "Really scared."

The Homeland Security Director's warning notably bypassed the normal "may" or "could" with the statement that terrorists "will attempt" attacks against Americans and their interests. After the night's breaking news, a cable news host asked his distinguished guest, "What scares you?" "The unknown," he quickly replied.

With headlines filled with news of war in Iraq, her feelings of apprehension were understandable, to say the least. Bombings, casualties, white flags, and a march to Baghdad. And that’s just over there. What about here?

This week, the Homeland Security Director's warning notably bypassed the normal "may" or "could" with the statement that terrorists "will attempt" attacks against Americans and their interests. After the night's breaking news, a cable news host asked his distinguished guest, "What scares you?" "The unknown," he quickly replied.

So once again, we are all reminded of what dangerous times we live in. And that store clerk isn't the only one who is, at some level, "scared." Just when we feel certainty might make a comeback, we are all suddenly plunged again into unsettling uncertainty. So many unknowns. So many sobering possibilities. So little we can be sure of.

Like a ship tossed about in a storm that is totally beyond its control, we are in need of an anchor. Something - or someone - that is bigger and stronger than the storm that surrounds us. Not just the storm of war or terrorism. Something stronger than even the deeply personal storm of a life-threatening illness or a collapsing family or the loss of someone we love.

Looking at a world that honestly is increasingly "scary," - and reflecting on the honest fears of that girl at the checkout counter, I got to thinking about "Boomer." I don't know if that was his real name, but he was our neighborhood bully when I was little. I'm not sure how big he was really was, but he was a lot bigger than we were. He called us names, picked on us, stole our stuff, and sometimes beat us up. We were "really scared" of him.

But one day I got really fed up with him taking my stuff. So I walked down to the end of our block to the apartment where Boomer lived, knocked on his door and demanded that he give back my stuff. "What a brave little guy," you might say. Well, in the interest of total disclosure, I should probably tell you the one little missing detail. My father went with me! And that made all the difference! Boomer even gave back my stuff! My Dad totally changed the balance of power. The winning equation was pretty simple: Boomer was bigger than I was ... but my father was bigger than Boomer was!

In a world full of battles and questions and unknowns that are bigger than we are, we need a "father" who is bigger than every Boomer we may face ... bigger than anything in tomorrow's headlines. That's why, when that clerk admitted the fear she was feeling because of our scary world, I told her what personal peace there is when you "belong to the God who's got the whole world in His hands."

...when you abandon running your God-given life and put your total trust in the One who died for your place, you experience the total release of having every sin forgiven.

He is described by the Biblical prophet Isaiah as "He who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth," who "stretches out the heavens like a canopy" and "brings princes to naught." With the great nations of the earth flexing their diplomatic and military muscle, it is striking that, according to that same Biblical passage, to God, "the nations are like a drop in the bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales." (Isaiah 40:15, 22-23)

No matter how big the "Boomer," the God of the universe is so much bigger. And with a "48 hour" reminder of how dangerous a world we live in, it has never seemed more urgent to be sure we are anchored to this God. That we belong to Him. Not just believe in Him, but belong to Him.

Our greatest fear, then, should be of going into the future without the God who made us. "Separated from your God," as the Bible describes it (Isaiah 59:2) - speaking of the price we all pay for running a life God was supposed to run. This separation, caused by a lifetime of sinful self-rule, becomes irreversible at the moment of our death. The hell of being forever shut out from the love and meaning we were made for is reversible, though, based on the personal sacrifice of the only Son God has. The death of Jesus on a cross was so much more than just a historical or a religious event - it was deeply personal. "Christ died for our sins," the Bible (1 Corinthians 15:3) says. For your sins.

So when you abandon running your God-given life and put your total trust in the One who died for your place, you experience the total release of having every sin forgiven. And then, the "unloseable" love and security of finally belonging to the awesome God you were made for. To a nation shaken to its foundations by the terror of September 11, President Bush cited a powerful Biblical anchor in the days that followed: "Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers ... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

That's the Father who is bigger than any "Boomer" you will ever face ... the One of whom the Bible says, "The man who fears the Lord ... will have no fear of bad news." (Psalm 112:7) From the moment you give yourself to Jesus, you are resting in the only arms that can keep you safe in any storm. And nothing can separate you from His love.

If you're not sure you belong to Jesus, and you would like to make sure today, Ron would like to send to you, without obligation, a free copy of the booklet, "Yours for Life: How to Have Life's Most Important Relationship." To view the online version, click here. OR, to request your free copy of "Yours for Life," order it online.
To talk to someone right now about how to begin your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please call toll-free: 1-888-NEED HIM.

More editorials by Ron Hutchcraft

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force

Copyright (c) 2003, Ron Hutchcraft, Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. Permission to distribute this material via email, or individual copies, is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes, and will not be sold. To reproduce this material in any other format, including Internet websites, written permission is needed from Ron Hutchcraft.

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