[Jesus Speaking]
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

How are we to behave when all of the earthly systems we live in and rely on come crumbling down?

This is a question that I had the privilege of discussing with a friend today in a parking lot outside of Red Robin. He was talking about one of his friends that had such great challenge with a workplace injury and the resulting multiple surgeries and pain that anger has crept in and is threatening his relationships.

There are times when life deals one blow after another, we barely have time to come up for breath, let alone figure out how to handle all the challenges we face. This can lead to anger, despair, bitterness, fatigue, and an apathy for life.

But God has a Kingdom that we can gain access to by exacting the gift of Jesus Christ and his payment for our sins. By his blood sacrifice, we are no longer held in judgment, but we are redeemed and seen as righteous.

So when the world falls apart and all that we have built, invested in, and relied upon comes crashing down, as children of the king we can rely on his provision and protection and our ultimate place in heaven.

What is our response, then, to all of the crazy things that happen in this world? How do we cope and deal with all the trauma, evil, and unfair situations?

In the midst of this chaos, of all of the world systems falling apart, we are told we can stand. We stand on the truth. We stand on the firm foundation, our cornerstone Jesus Christ! And we stand on the promises of God, passed down from generation to generation. Not only do we stand, but we hold our heads high. We hold our heads high, not out of haughtiness or arrogance. No, we hold our heads high because we are looking to a kingdom that is outside of this earth, to our place in the heavenly realms with our Father. We hold our heads high in hope and confidence because God is faithful, and Jesus Christ will come for us again.

Lord, thank you for addressing the falling apart of the world systems and telling us how we should behave when we see these things happen. You were a great model of this. Give me the strength, the eyes of love, and the focus to see the future joy of our eternal salvation.