Read transcript below
Summary
In this episode of Dispatches from the Spiritual Front, Alan Wartes addresses the pervasive fear stemming from the current state of the world. He emphasizes the importance of discerning which news to engage with and the power of prayer as a response to fear. Wartes discusses the biblical perspective on fear, encouraging listeners to find courage in their faith and to understand that turmoil is a response to God’s plan, not a victory for evil. He concludes with a powerful prayer aimed at fostering hope and courage in troubling times.
Takeaways
The state of the world causes widespread fear.
Prayer is essential for overcoming fear.
Believers are called to discern news wisely.
Faith is the foundation for courage in fear.
Turmoil reflects a response to God’s plan.
Satan’s power is ultimately defeated.
Courage comes from understanding God’s sovereignty.
The Bible encourages us to not be afraid.
We should be beacons of peace and fearlessness.
God’s purpose will be fulfilled in these times.
Chapters
00:00 Facing the Fear of the World
03:07 The Power of Prayer in Troubling Times
08:31 Understanding God’s Sovereignty Over Evil
Transcript
Hi and welcome to Dispatches from the Spiritual Front. I’m Alan Wartes.
Here’s something I imagine is on just about everyone’s mind these days — everyone with an internet connection, at least. I’m talking about the scary state of the world. We can’t deny there are signs of severe distress in every direction.
And people are really afraid.
Jesus told us to expect wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and famines in diverse places. We’re used to thinking of those things in the traditional, literal sense — and that is surely included in what the Lord meant.
But what’s harder to deal with is that the foundations are also shaking under the institutions and systems we depend on. The reliable landmarks we’ve steered by in worldly affairs are teetering and shifting around all at once.
No wonder people are afraid, including many followers of Jesus. Here’s a text message I received last week from someone very close to me. She wrote:
“I was just scrolling through email, reading headline after headline that caused fear to rise up in me. I stopped in horror, realizing I was the victim of fear mongering. But what should I do? Stop reading the headlines? I concluded that I need to discern which stories I should ignore and which ones I need to pray earnestly about. The most important thing is to stop being afraid.”
Her message came at exactly the right moment, because I had recently been struggling with the same thing. Most of us can probably say that. Maybe we’re frightened by different headlines, but the effect is the same — the state of the world scares us.
The temptation, as she wrote, is to just look away. Stop paying attention in order to stop feeling afraid.
But I can never get that to feel quite right. In Hebrews, the Bible says that faith is the “evidence of things not seen,” not the denial of things that we do see and must live with every day.
If nothing else, I think that being blissfully ignorant makes me less available to others who are terrified and in need of comfort. As I said, that’s just about everyone.
In any case, getting this person’s message was good timing, because God had just led me to an answer to that question, “What do we do in response to all this upheaval and the fear we feel?”
It’s no surprise, really, that this answer came in the form of a powerful prayer. Prayer is the superpower God gave us for facing all of life’s scary challenges.
This is what Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Yes! That’s what we’re looking for. Not just the absence of fear but transcendent peace.
I’ll share the specific prayer God showed me in a moment, because I believe it will help overcome our reluctance to pray just because we don’t know what to pray.
But before that, here’s an idea I think can also shed some light. It helped me, at least.
First, I asked myself, “As followers of Jesus, why are we afraid of world events?” Surely, we haven’t forgotten the 365 times the Bible encourages us to “fear not” and “don’t be afraid.”
In speaking about scary world events at the end of the age, Jesus himself said:
“See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen.”
Matthew 24:6
So why is it so hard to read headlines without feeling afraid?
Part of the answer to that seems almost too simple at first glance but is in fact very powerful. It involves how I think and what I believe.
I feel afraid because I still believe that evil is evidence that Satan has a plan and that it’s working. Even more, I believe the lie that I am still vulnerable to that plan. That is a lie and if you doubt that, read Psalm 91:
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
Psalm 91:1-2
Read the whole thing to find a real shot of courage!
Here’s the truth: Turmoil in the world is not Satan’s plan. It is his desperate response — to God’s plan. To God’s already completed plan.
Can you see the difference? It’s an important foundation to lay beneath the prayer I’ll share in a moment.
If I believe that Satan has a “plan” to somehow compete with God, that credits him with power and sovereignty that don’t belong to him. He lost everything when our savior died and rose again. It’s true that God, according to the wisdom of his plan, left Satan free in the world to sew chaos and deception for a time. But that changes nothing about the total defeat he suffered.
Satan is the one with reason to fear — and the rampage of evil we see around us is evidence that he knows it. As it’s written in Revelation 12:
“But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
Revelation 12:12
Yes, we live in the world of his fury, but that is no cause for fear.
Listen to Isaiah 35:
“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’”
Isaiah 35:3-4
The Most High God is the only God. There is only one plan. Courage and confidence in scary times like these must rest on a foundation of immovable faith in that.
So, here is the prayer I want to share with you. It has made a huge difference for me as I face my fear in these end times.
Our Father in heaven, in all the world’s upheaval, may your will be done and your purpose be fulfilled. May these times spark a hunger in those who are called but have not yet believed and in believers who have not yet come out of Babylon to fully abide in you.
May all these things prepare the ground for the coming Day of the Lord, a day of judgment and punishment for the wicked and glorious redemption for the righteous who are hidden in Christ Jesus.
Father, lead us to wait and watch for his coming with patience, courage, wisdom, discernment, faith and hope. In these times make us a beacon of fearlessness and peace that draws people to you.
May God bless you and keep you — and give you courage.
