We are living in scary, uncertain, consequential, and also exciting times. These are the days that were prophesied about in Scripture, and with each passing day, we can see how rapidly events are moving as God brings this chapter in human history to a close. If you have studied end times theology at all, you have no doubt heard something about the days that we are currently living in, and perhaps you even feared that we might see days like these but hoped that it wouldn’t happen.

Although things have been moving in an ominous direction for quite a while, events have accelerated to a breakneck speed in 2020. We are witnessing a mass delusion the likes of which we have never seen before. People are gripped by fear over a virus that has roughly the same lethality as the flu for most people, and the majority of citizens have willingly let the government take away their freedoms and exert unprecedented control over their lives because of it.

When you look around, it appears as if America is coming apart at the seams. You have Covid-19 coming at you from one side and an attempted Marxist overthrow of the country on the other side. While most public events are canceled and citizens are supposed to put on masks whenever they go out, protesters, rioters, and anarchists have been allowed to move freely in cities across America. In one major city (Seattle), anarchists occupied several blocks of the city for a whole month, and frequent riots continue to this day just down the road in Portland.

The insanity going on in our country and the world leaves no doubt that we are in for some extremely difficult days ahead. As we have heard said often lately, “it’s going to get worse before it gets better”. This paints a pretty dark picture of the current state of our nation and world, doesn’t it?

There is actually some very good news in all of this – if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, that is. Christ’s return is imminent. We appear to be in the final generation or two before Jesus returns for His people and implements His thousand-year millennial reign. And judging by the things that have happened in the past six months or so, we may very well be much closer than that.

The struggle for Christians during times like these is really a matter of focus. If we focus too much on what is happening in this world, we can easily get depressed and lose all hope. But if we set our minds on things above as we are told to do in Scripture (Colossians 3:2), we do not need to experience the hopelessness that many around us are experiencing. In fact, these days give us an opportunity to be lights that shine more brightly than ever before, pointing those around us to the only true hope that they have.

Finding Peace in the Storm

If you are a Christian, you know intellectually that it is better to turn your mind toward heaven than to stay fixated on what is happening in the world. But you also know that staying focused on God rather than this world is much easier said than done. We are inundated each day with mostly bad news, and the media continually ratchets up the fear. And if we spend too much time listening to those voices, we will be sucked right into that same mindset.

You might find yourself increasingly lonely these days, like you don’t fit in anymore. If you are feeling that way, it is actually a very good sign. You are not supposed to get too attached to this world, and you certainly will not be able to fit in with a society that has completely turned its back on the truth. Remember, if a society turns away from truth, they will fall for any lie, no matter how absurd. And we have seen this scenario played out in real time in recent days.

So, how do you find peace with everything that is going on around you? The answer is where it has always been – drawing closer to God. In Philippians 4:7, the apostle Paul describes a peace that “passeth all understanding.” This is a supernatural peace and one that can only be obtained when someone is born again and has a close relationship with Christ.

Verse 6 of this passage shows how you can have this peace anytime you want, no matter how bad the storm is:

• Pray about Everything: “In everything by prayer and supplication…let your requests be made known unto God”. One of the major keys to cultivating a strong Christian faith has always been to have a strong prayer life, and this is true now more than ever. We should be praying for our country – every day multiple times a day. We should be praying for our leaders, for our family members, friends, members of our church and community, and for ourselves. Every need and concern we have should be brought before the throne of God. This is best done deliberately by setting aside a designated time of prayer every single day.

• Be Thankful for Anything: Right in the middle of the sentence about prayer lies two very important words “with thanksgiving”. Our prayers should always be made with a heart of gratitude toward God for all the blessings He has already bestowed upon us. As American Christians, we need to remember that, no matter how bad things get, God has shed more grace upon our country than we ever deserved. In all of human history, there has never been a nation on earth that has enjoyed the freedom and prosperity that we have. Even when things seem to be falling apart, we still have it much better than most of the rest of the world. The fact is that there is always something you can be thankful for – whether that be your good health, ability to think clearly, relationship with God, and of course the greatest thing of all, the free gift of eternal salvation purchased through Christ’s blood on the cross, which keeps us from having to experience what we all deserved – eternity in hell.

• Worry about Nothing: If we have brought all of our worries and concerns to God and taken time to be thankful, this third step should fall right into place. “Be careful for nothing”, in other words, worry about nothing. What do we have to be worried about anyway? If our God is in control and He is working out all things for His glory and our benefit (Romans 8:28), what need do we have to be worried or stressed about the things that are going on around us?

In addition to experiencing God’s supernatural peace, there is another important benefit that we receive by following the advice that is laid out in this passage – contentment and strength in all circumstances. Verses 12-13 say:

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

By being prayerful, thankful, and worry free, we can derive the strength to be content no matter what our circumstances might be. This allows us to trust God to handle all of the looming threats and to keep working to advance his kingdom in the midst of it. When we do this, we will receive God’s supernatural peace, because we will be exactly where He wants us to be.