Today I received news of the passing of another old friend. As you get older, the autumn leaves seem to fall more frequently. Today I sense my mortality, and I find myself thinking more of Christ and what’s really important. Position and power are exposed as insufficient to fill the void of our hearts. Presidents and kings come and go, only Christ remains, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
There was another saying that came from Alfred Lord Tennyson: “Our little systems have their day, they have their day, and cease to be, They are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou O Lord, art more than they.”
Think about it: What’s important? Are politics and parties and fighting for power really that important? In a few years, will we even remember the present struggle for the White House?
Today we stand on the threshold of a new year. 2021. I remember as a boy at Avondale College watching the wobbly path of a satellite as it crossed the night sky. “Wow,” we all said. I don’t remember now whether it was Russian or American. We were all convinced it was a sign of our Lord’s return. That little system had its day. And 60 years later, so much has changed. But has it really? The void remains in the human heart, and only Christ can fill that void.
As we enter a new year, let us do so with Christ. Let us, at least for a brief while, forget politics, elections, lawsuits, name-calling, and this ugly, “striving for the mastery.” Let us recognize that only Jesus can satisfy the deep hungers of our hurting hearts. Jesus is God in a human body. He is our Creator. He is our Savior. He is our friend. He is our comforter. He is our life-giver. He is our brother. He is our provider. He is our coming King. He is with us now. Let the glory of His Gospel fill you. Let His peace surround you like a thick blanket on a frosty night.
Here is another story from my childhood. I was brought up in Australia that was fiercely loyal to the British monarch who still legally remains the head of the nation. We saluted the flag every morning and lustily sang, “God save our gracious king…” That King was George the Sixth, the king who was featured in the movie The King’s Speech. He was the king who stuttered. He was the king who presided over an England that was ravaged by Nazi bombers, every night. As the new uncertain year of 1940 dawned, he spoke on the radio to his people in England and around the world. Controlling his stuttering, he urged his people to be strong, and not give up. As he reached his conclusion, King George quoted Minnie Louise Haskins,
“I SAID TO THE MAN WHO STOOD AT THE GATE OF THE YEAR, ‘GIVE ME A LIGHT THAT I MAY TREAD SAFELY INTO THE UNKNOWN,’ AND HE SAID, ‘GO OUT INTO THE DARKNESS, AND PUT YOUR HAND INTO THE HAND OF GOD. THAT SHALL BE TO YOU BETTER THAN LIGHT, AND SAFER THAN A KNOWN WAY.’”
I say the same to you today. Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. In these times of uncertainty, we need Him. He is better than light, and safer than a known way. I therefore invite you, dear friend of mine, in this time when things seem to be falling apart, to walk confidently into the darkness. Know that Christ will never leave us or forsake us. His presence is all we need. Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE.
May this New Year of 2021 be filled with good things because He is in our hearts.
With love and blessings,
