What to Do When the World Has Gone Crazy
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I’m sitting here trying to ignore the fact that the world has gone crazy. I’m spending time praying and writing in my journal as my heart is breaking for the people suffering in Afganistan, Haiti, and really, all over the world.
Christians are being killed in Afganistan for their faith.
Haitians are digging loved ones out of the rubble after a massive earthquake.
Tennesseans are mourning people lost in catastrophic flooding.
The world is reeling from suppressions of their freedom, as people are locked down again and again, forced to take a vaccine that isn’t totally stopping this pandemic, according to new reports, and parents are losing rights to have a say in the health, safety, schooling—and even gender—of their child.
And I just found out that the little girl in Bangladesh that we have been supporting for six years through Food for the Hungry was just sold into a child marriage at the age of 13. I feel like she died. I’ve wept and wept for her. We will have no more contact with her. And all of her hopes and dreams of being a doctor are hopelessly lost in a culture that suppresses women and forces them into these arranged marriages, which often result in premature pregnancies and resulting lifelong physical injury.
Meanwhile, life must go on. And I know many people are just feeling paralyzed with it all. The headlines feel like a string of never-ending bad news. Our souls grow tired.
We are not alone in that feeling. There were many in Jesus’ day who felt the same. You see, the Jewish people had been oppressed by the Romans to the point that they had no freedoms. They were being taxed to death. Most lived below the poverty level, and many suffered hunger, starvation, even death. When Jesus came on the scene, most of the Jewish nation expected the Messiah to overthrow the Roman government and establish them as a sovereign nation once again.
But that’s not why Jesus came. He had much BIGGER purposes.
Recently, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to study what instructions Jesus gave His disciples on the most confusing night of their lives—-the night of the Last Supper.
•It was the night Jesus told them He would be crucified.
•It was the night he told them that one in their very midst was the betrayer.
•It was the night He told Peter that he was about to deny even knowing the Master.
•It was the night they would see Jesus, who was usually so calm and in charge, sweat blood and cry, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
•It was the night in which all of their hopes and dreams would feel crushed, buried in the tomb with their beloved Rabbi.
•It was the night all of them would run and leave Jesus out of sheer panic and confusion.
•It was the night their Roman oppressors, the intruders of Israel, would torture and kill their one hope: Messiah.
•It was the night that their world felt like it had gone completely crazy.
So what did Jesus tell them to do? There were six main points He gave them. They are the same things He would say to us as we see our world deteriorating and becoming more confusing.
Maybe you’ve been betrayed by friends.
Maybe your dreams seem buried.
Maybe Jesus feels far away.
Maybe you are running day to day in sheer panic and confusion.
Maybe your world seems occupied with intruders.
Maybe you’ve experienced loss or death.
In the midst of a world gone crazy, we can find clarity, hope, and purpose in the words of Jesus..
So what do we do when the world is going crazy? On the most confusing night of their lives, at the Last Supper, the disciples heard the following words of direction, which are steps we too can follow when life feels confusing:
TRUST IN JESUS ABOVE ALL ELSE. HE IS THE WAY.
Jesus told the disciples in John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” And in verse 6, He says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” He is the way to eternal life. He is where we must place our trust. We can’t trust people or earthly systems or doctors or even pastors MORE than we trust Jesus. Others will fail us and let us down. He will not.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON ETERNITY. THIS EARTH IS NOT OUR HOME.
In verse 2-4, Jesus paints a picture of what is to come for us all: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
When we realize that this earth is our assignment and our mission, we can treat it as such. We can keep our eyes on our eternal reward. It makes all this mess down here feel more expected. We shouldn’t expect to be accepted and praised down here, because the world rejected Jesus and will also reject us. That doesn’t mean we can’t live with victory. It just means we can’t trust the world’s system of reward and purpose.
GET BUSY DOING THE WORK OF THE KINGDOM, IN FAITH!
Next, on the night of the Last Supper, Jesus gives the disciples this commission, which applies to us today: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (verses 12-14).
In the last days, it’s vital that we get busy on our assignments. While we are fulfilling our individual assignments for God, He is there to provide all that we need. Jesus said for us to ask Him for ANYTHING and he will do it. The Greek verbiage is more implicit and descriptive. It literally says, “If you ask for anything in my name, if I don’t have, I’ll MAKE IT FOR YOU.” In other words, God can make something out of nothing. He can create whatever you need. He can create a future and hope as you do the works of the Kingdom. He will provide for your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. He will do what you ask in His name, on His assignment. God provides seed for the SOWER and bread for food (2 Corin. 9:10). So let’s get sowing! Start sowing the Word of God into others. Start being generous with your resources. He will provide.
KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS EVEN WHEN THE WORLD IS STRAYING FAR.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). So simple, yet so difficult to stay out of sin when a world is bathing in it. Or is it? Jesus gives us the key to saying NO to sin. He said, “If you love me…” The way to saying NO to sin is to stay in love with Jesus. When we are motivated with love, it’s not a chore. Love will keep us when willpower gives up. Love will compel us when our flesh is tired. Love will hold us when emotional needs aren’t met and we are looking for comfort and pleasure.
The fear of the Lord will keep us from sin. I don’t mean fear as in dread or panic, I mean it as “awe” or “reverence.” I love what I heard actor John Voigt said about “fearing the Lord.” He said that the fear of the Lord came on him after he met Jesus and had a dramatic conversion to Christianity in his later life. He said that it’s not that he’s afraid of God, but that he doesn’t want to offend his best friend. He fears offending God, so it keeps him away from sin. I love that picture! When we love Jesus and walk with Him as our best friend, we will not DESIRE to hurt Him in any way. We will stay the course, away from sin, even while the world is diving deeper and deeper in all kinds of things that will hurt their lives.
RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT AS YOUR HELPER IN THIS LATE HOUR.
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (verse 16-17). Jesus promised His disciples a Helper, Counselor, and Comforter who would guide them through this life, giving them to power to think the thoughts of God, hear His voice, be full of courage instead of fear, and be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control!
The evidence that the Holy Spirit is in your life should be seen by all through that list of “fruits.” The fruit of the spirit is the evidence that He is in your life. And if you don’t have a lot of that evidence right now, then it’s time to get to know Him better. Start talking to the Holy Spirit, asking for help, and praying in the heavenly language He gives. Simply ask Him to baptize you in His power so you can live like Jesus and do the works He did. Read the first two chapters in the book of Acts to see how this gift came to the disciples and what it did in their lives.
RECEIVE THE PEACE THAT ONLY JESUS CAN GIVE.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Verse 27). This is one of my favorite scriptures.
There is so much fear right now, because that is Satan’s primary communication method. It’s his mode of operation. If he can get you in fear, he can get you in trouble. But if you focus on staying at peace and building your faith in Jesus, the wicked one cannot touch you.
You have a power that is greater than all the powers of this world, so don’t allow the fear permeating the culture to take root in your heart. Resist the devil and he has to go. Don’t let him finish his sentence. Demand that the spirit of fear leave. Then receive the peace of Jesus. He gives answers. He has a way where there seems to be no way. He is working for your good, if you will simply walk in faith and speak life over the circumstances. Watch what you are listening to and sowing into your heart, because those seeds will produce a crop in your life.
Jesus comforted and challenged his disciples on that confusing night. He also let them know that the reason He had come was not to overthrow the Roman Empire, but to overthrow demonic power—the empire of Darkness. He came to bring the Kingdom of God, and that Kingdom changes everything! It is an unshakeable, unchangeable foundation in our lives, something unaffected by circumstances, governments, turmoil, or economies. He came to give us a government that could not be thwarted or controlled by human beings. Jesus’ ultimate mission was to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to humanity, giving us access to a whole new realm of living. We are not of this world, because His Kingdom is not of this world.
Jesus said in John 18:36,
“My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
He came to bring a revolution of Truth, to set us free from the government of darkness, bringing us into HIS government of freedom, life, purpose, and peace.
So, let me ask you, have you allowed the Kingdom of God to impact your daily life in the midst of a world gone crazy? Or have you allowed the Kingdom of Darkness to have more say in how you feel and how you live your life?
If you are lending more ear to the news headlines, to the fear-mongering, to the CDC, to the government, to the protests, to the heartbreak, more than you are listening to the Holy Spirit, to the Word of God, to fellow Christians, to Words of prophecy given to you, and to your mentors in the faith, you are going to GO CRAZY, TOO.
When we follow all those other voices, we start heading down the same path. We start following their voice instead the voice of our Master, Jesus.
I know that even when the world is going crazy, we can walk in strength, peace, and joy. The disciples did it. After that very confusing night, after Jesus had risen from the grave and defeated death, they finally got it! They found their purpose in something far greater than trivial earthly pursuits. They completely changed the world in ONE GENERATION, radically preaching the Word, healing the sick, standing up to the persecution, and discipling the new converts. In a time of hatred and oppression, they were known for their love. They didn’t let the government dictate their life, they made decisions to live for Jesus. And even though most of them were eventually martyred for their faith, they stepped into eternity and heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” They had courage even in death to not deny their Master. What a grand finale!
Jesus gives His disciples this promise on the night of the Last Supper: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” More than anything, know that you are not alone. You are surrounded by a Love that will never leave you and never stop pursuing your heart. He is your Prince of Peace, and He will keep you in the day of trouble. He will sustain you, He will provide for you, and He will be your refuge. Don’t allow the voices of those who don’t know the Lord to affect your peace. Don’t allow this world to get you down.
You have a purpose. You have a mission. You have an assignment. Jesus needs you to step into your assignment in a more purposeful way. Ask Him how you can do that, today.
And remember, when the world has gone crazy, don’t let your heart be troubled. Trust in the One who formed the world and knows the end from the beginning.
