Devotions

In the book of Luke, we see yet another time that society was in total upheaval. People were clamoring for influence and authority and the place where the testimony of God physically dwelt was being dominated by a foreign power.

I am sure there were prayer meetings and people crying out to God, for there were religious and devout people in that generation. However, while everyone had a mental picture of what the power of God should look like, suddenly something came on the scene that was not understood.

THE WHISPER IN A MANGER

Nobody expected God to show His power and give His people strength to go forward in the manner He did. In the midst of all the voices, the chanting of religionists, the power of God appeared—and it was a child’s voice! It was not the wind, the fire or an earthquake—it was a whisper in a manger. Yet, who was able to hear it?

The religious could not hear it. The movers and shakers could not hear it. The self-focused could not hear it; neither could the Romans who were intent on dominating with power. And so God went to a few shepherds in a field, broke open the veil between time and eternity, and sent angels to burst forth singing, “Glory to God in the highest! On earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (see Luke 2:13-14). In other words, “Everything you have ever longed for has come.”

BE QUIET SO YOU CAN HEAR

Those shepherds rose up and went to the manger, only to find nothing more than a baby’s whisper. It would have been a voice so still that everybody had to be quiet in order to hear it. Yet in the end, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (Luke 2:20).

In the natural, this would have been regarded as foolishness! But the still, small voice was the power of God being made known to man once again.

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. 

For many months, I searched and studied the Scriptures, pleading with the Lord to give me a message of hope and encouragement for these hard times. My spirit cried out, “Lord, please speak a word to my heart for Your children, for You alone have the words of eternal life. Only You can speak a word of comfort to us in such times.”

The Holy Spirit answered my prayer, speaking the following to my heart:

“I am going to give you a single promise from my Word. And if you will commit your very life to it, this word will keep you through any and all perilous times.”

EMBRACE THE TRUTH

Beloved, I know if we will especially embrace this one verse, fully believing it, it will be a daily power-source of faith. Here is the promise the Spirit showed me:

“YOUR FATHER KNOWETH WHAT THINGS YE HAVE NEED OF, BEFORE YE ASK HIM” (Matthew 6:8).

In Luke 12, Jesus enumerates the things He says our heavenly Father knows we need. In short, those needs are: food, drink and clothing.

“Therefore, I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. . . . If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Luke 12:22, 28).

I must ask you: As the storm rages, are you going to the Lord in prayer? If you are, then you’re gaining strength, because your mind is becoming fixed on your heavenly Father’s love. In His presence, He continually reveals His power to you and encourages you that you will make it through.

It is not God’s will that any of His children face the coming perilous times with paralyzing fear; in fact, biblical prophecy and warnings should not frighten us. Jesus’ heart on the matter is stated very plainly:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

WARNING US IN LOVE

Jesus prophesied of world events to come that sounded frightful. He spoke of wars, pestilence, earthquakes in various places. And He warned His hearers: “You are going to be afflicted, and some of you will even be killed. Iniquity will abound. False prophets and messiahs shall arise, deceiving many” (see Matthew 24:3 through 41).

Later in Matthew, Jesus explains that He forewarned of these catastrophic events so that we would believe in Him when we saw them coming to pass.

HE IS LORD OVER ALL

Jesus wasn’t trying to put a burden of fear on us. Rather, He simply doesn’t want us to be surprised when we are hit by awful storms. He doesn’t want our faith to be shipwrecked when we suddenly face incredible suffering. And most of all, He wants us to believe there is a Lord over all these awful things, a Father who is loving enough to warn us about them and keep us through them all.

Scripture makes it clear that we are to heed every prophetic message delivered by godly men and confirmed in Scripture. We are to gather all the knowledge we can about the oncoming storms so that we can prepare our hearts for whatever we will face.

But we are not to let fear or anxiety consume our thinking or take hold of our hearts. Darkness is certainly coming and judgment is at our very door. But as God’s people, we cannot allow any cloud of darkness to hide the great light of His promises of love and mercy toward His people.

DON’T LET SATAN STEAL YOUR HOPE

We must be well informed by God’s Word and His prophets, but we are not to dwell on prophetic knowledge so much that it takes over our lives. The devil would love for this to happen. He knows he can’t get us to doubt the Lord’s Word concerning judgment, so he will attempt to take us to another extreme and drive us to a fearful obsession with perilous times.

Simply put, Satan wants to rob us of all hope by consuming us with foreboding thoughts. But we cannot figure out the future through being totally preoccupied with it. In reality, we can get bogged down in fear and obsessing about frightful events.

FIX YOUR THOUGHTS ON JESUS

The apostle Paul reassures us with this instruction:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, my emphasis).

In other words: “You have heard all the warnings. Now, take heed to what God’s Word reveals and to what His watchmen are saying. And, finally, fix your thoughts on Jesus and His goodness.”

For years, I have been faithfully warning of a soon-to-come worldwide economic holocaust. Even now, we are seeing this coming to pass around the globe. I have warned that Christians are going to suffer, that there will be great loss and hardship, and already this is happening. Multitudes of precious saints all over the word are enduring great financial and mental stress.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

As awful as these things are, none of them should be the focus of our energies and ministry. Rather, we must continue proclaiming the love of God the Father and the tender mercy of our Savior.

I know the American lifestyle — indeed, the lifestyles of those in every prosperous nation — are about to change permanently. I know everything is reeling and shaking. But when I get up in the morning, I don’t worry, “What are we going to eat? What are we going to wear? What about heat, light, security?” Jesus warned us not to do that.

PERFECT PEACE

I rest in my Father’s love. The fact is, I know that I am not God and He alone is in control of all these things. I simply do what the prophet Isaiah did: He put his mind to rest by fully trusting in his Lord. 

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

Isaiah the prophet declared this truth to believers in every age — and God cannot lie!