This month, as no place in this world can be secure, we are reflecting on how to deal with a world in distress and to prepare ourselves for the eventuality of disaster in our lives. This fourth reflection helps us understand the true meaning of “safety in God”:

IN WORD How can any rational person accept such a claim? Didn’t good Christian people die in the World Trade Center disaster? Didn’t faith-filled soldiers die in Normandy, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and all kinds of other brutal places in this world? Haven’t floods, earthquakes, famine, and crime been rather indiscriminate, ravaging the faithful and the lost in the same places on the same days?
Surely the psalmist didn’t think this one through. Surely the Spirit of God was not the inspiration behind this shallow hope. But we know such questions do not get to the heart of the issue. The Bible is true—it has proven itself to us on many occasions. So what does this promise mean? How can God assure us of seeming immunity to the world’s brutal abuses? Because He insists on one vital truth: We are not of this world. Yes, we were born into the world as children of flesh and heirs of sin. We have certainly not proven ourselves above reproach as we’ve walked through this life. But the Word contains glorious promises for God’s people. We are born from above. No matter what spiritual slum we sprang from, we now dwell in our Father’s house. And it is a place of ultimate safety.
IN DEED The Bible and tradition are honest about the martyrs. Stephen was stoned, Peter was crucified, Paul was likely beheaded, and John was exiled. And they all knew this verse inside and out. They believed it with all their heart. The Spirit within them had inspired it centuries before. It is truth.
But those martyrs were miraculously preserved often; none died before his time. Moreover, they knew the real meaning of disaster and harm, and they were ultimately protected. And they knew the true geography of their tent; they dwelled in an eternal kingdom not subject to threats. So can we. For that kingdom’s citizens, there is nothing to fear – ever. “I’m standing on the promises of God.” – R. Kelso Carter (in “Walking with God” by Chris Tiegreen)

God does not promise us that we will be free from suffering or trial or tribulation in this world. In fact, Jesus warns us that we will face it as part of our life in this world (recall last week’s passages in John, John 16:33). What God does promise us is that He will preserve us for eternity. Take time to reflect on 2 Corinthians 4 – 6 this week and be reminded that our earthly home is only temporary. If Paul can face the sufferings and trials of life with such confidence, then so can we. Life in this world is but a blink of an eye in the timeframe of eternity. Whatever trials and sufferings, even disasters, that we face are nothing in comparison to all that we will have in our heavenly Kingdom. Have a blessed and secure week in the Lord! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam