What are we to do?

If you turn on the news for a few minutes, you will soon realize we're not living in peace these days. It used to be that things happened in other parts of the world to disturb the peace, but these days, things are happening closer to home and more often.

Can you think of some things that are going on in our world today that are disturbing the peace? How many examples can you think of? Here are a few that come quickly to my mind:

• Hamas bombing parts of Israel
• The crisis at our border
• Civil unrest in many of our cities
• Random shootings
• Domestic violence incidents
• The Covid crisis
• Human Trafficking
• Financial situations in our country
• Broken relationships
• A crumbling moral fiber
• What we’ve known as evil seems to be now viewed as good…mixed up values

Why is this happening? There are probably as many ideas of “why” as there are people, but for the Christian, there is only one true answer…people turning away from God. We are reminded in Psalm 34:14 “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

How?

1. Pray. Pray specifically for the needs we see or hear about.
2. We need to recommit ourselves to the Lord to carry out what He calls us to do, always, no matter what.
3. Take responsibility for ourselves and yes, we are our brother’s keeper.
4. Be intentional to live out all it means to be a Christian, daily, wherever we are.
5. Be an example of Christlikeness to a lost world at home, school, work, and church.
6. Look at what is going on in our world and ask the Lord to lead you to do something…get involved in the decision-making processes and make a difference.
7. Start with your own family…leading them to Christ and discipling them.
8. Help our churches to not give up or give in to the changing culture around them.
9. Do what YOU can do! Don’t leave it up to “someone else” to do what’s right.
10. Be the light of Christ in a dark and broken world.

Remember this command and promise: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Written by WMU of Texas President Earl Ann Bumpus