The events of last year have created a lot of anxiety for many as the stability of the last half century seems to be unraveling. 2026 looks to continue the uncertainty. Our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world has led to a BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible one) world.
Can there still be hope for the future, especially with the escalating tensions in the Middle East this past week? Yes! Because history remains God’s story. And we play a key part in it! This week’s reflection helps us understand our critical role in the unfolding of God’s plans for the world:

IN WORD – This wasn’t the first time Moses interceded for the people. They angered God with a golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai, even as God was issuing commandments against idolatry. God offered to wipe Israel out and begin afresh with Moses, but Moses pleaded with God for the sake of His reputation. God relented and forgave His people. The prayers of a human being turned the divine will back in their favor.
Now in the wilderness, even in the face of outright rejection of the promise, the same dynamic is repeated. God offers to destroy the people and make a great nation out of Moses, but Moses pleads for the people again. Again, God relents. He hears the prayer and accepts it. A punishment remains, but so does the promise.
Why does this dynamic repeat itself? Is God really so shortsighted that He gets distracted from His long-range plans and has to be redirected back to them by the vision of a human being? No, for some reason left unexplained in Scripture, God intervenes in the affairs of people to the extent that a person asks Him to. He put the affairs of this world under the domain of the first humans, and He never removed the responsibility from us. The partnership between God and humanity to tend the Garden and govern the affairs of earth remains. It’s still a partnership. So He often indicates what would happen if He acted unilaterally, practically inviting a human agent to plead for another course. Then He responds the way He intended—in partnership with those who ask Him.
IN DEED – Make intercession for this world—for those in your domain, your family, your friends, your coworkers, your church, your community, and more—a high priority. It’s how Kingdom business gets done. The partnership between God and human beings is the way the Kingdom works on earth. Ask, seek, and knock. Intercede and invite God to accomplish His greatest purposes. ADDITIONAL READING: Isaiah 59:16 “Do not let us fail one another in interest, care, and practical help; but supremely we must not fail one another in prayer.” – Bishop Michael Baughen (in “Heaven on Earth” by Chris Tiegreen)

This past week, several people in church asked if the week’s events are leading to Armageddon. And at our seminary, faculty are also discussing how to help our students respond in their churches.
Our conclusion is that we need to pray as we cannot provide any answers about God’s timing. All we can do is trust that God’s plans are unfolding in accordance to His will. Regardless of whether this week’s events are just a blip in human history or the beginning of Jesus’ Return, it’s beyond our understanding and control. What we need to do is intercede on behalf of those affected and pray for the world leaders as 1 Timothy 2:1-2 call on us to do.
But are you in need of comfort? Then take time this week to read John 14 – 17, the final words of Jesus before His sacrifice on the Cross. Let His promises and the presence of the Holy Spirit point you to the confidence we have in Jesus, especially His assurance in John 16:33.
May the Lord strengthen and sustain you this week and may you experience a deeper sense of God’s peace this week. – from Singapore, Pastor Sam