When All is Falling Apart

by Hal Brady
 
An American cartoonist named Bill Watterson used to draw the comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes” (1985-1995). In one of those comic strips Calvin, the little boy, comes marching into the living room early one morning. His mother is seated there in her favorite chair. She is sipping her morning coffee. She looks up at young Calvin. She is amused and amazed at how he is dressed. Calvin’s head is encased in a large space helmet. A cape is draped around his neck, across his shoulders and down his back, and it is dragging on the floor. One hand holds a flashlight and the other is holding a baseball bat. “What’s up today?” asks his mother. “Nothing so far,” answers Calvin. “So far?” she questions. “Well, you never know,” Calvin says. “Something could happen today.” Then Calvin marches off saying, “And if anything does, by golly, I’m going to be ready for it!”

According to Bill Watterson, Calvin’s mother looks directly at the reading audience and says, “I need a suit like that!” And that’s the way we all feel at times as we face this troubling world of ours.  We want a suit like Calvin’s so we can say along with him, “Whatever may happen, I’m going to be ready for it.” So, what do we do when everything seems to be falling apart? We take our cue from the Psalmist!

First, we can believe in the presence of God! When the psalmist was urged to flee before his enemies, he refused. He stood firm, steadfast. How? He said, “In the Lord, I take refuge” (11:1). The psalmist could take refuge in the Lord for two reasons. One, he remembered the past acts of God. A songwriter wrote a gospel song on a prayer he heard an old man pray years ago. The lyrics are, “Lord, we know what you are gonna do, ‘cause we see what you’ve already done.” And how many of us can attest to God’s working in our own lives? The other reason the psalmist could take refuge in the Lord was because he was confident of God’s purpose for God’s people in the present! The Christian faith teaches that history is “His Story.” That God is a vital part of history, shaping its ends. Christianity asserts that God actually stepped into history; so history always has a past redeemed by his grace and a future influenced by his will. And we are reminded of this truth in Maltbie D. Babcock’s gospel song written in 1901, “This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong God is the ruler yet.”

Second, we can maintain our conviction that the best is more powerful than the worst! Now, this conviction is a claim that has historic truth. Our faith has stood the test of time. As you know, it is rooted in the Old Testament story of a people who were sustained by their religion when the worst was a reality. I’m talking about the children of Israel in the captivity of Egypt, in the wilderness and in exile. By any logical explanation, George Washington should have surrendered several times. His fellow countrymen were indifferent to his cause, and several of his trusted generals betrayed him. But nothing could shake his resolve - not treachery, not injustice, not the element of the weather, and not the armed forces of the enemy. And out of Washington’s resolve a new nation was born. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (11:3). 

Third, we can go right on seeking righteous! The psalmist says in verse seven, “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.” We are being told here that as we continue to seek righteousness we shall be in fellowship with God. He did the best things in the worst times. I’m referring to George Malley, played by John Travolta, in the movie “Phenomenon.” The government thought he was a security risk. The girl of his interest was afraid of being hurt. His friends did not understand him. The university would not allow him to share his new found knowledge. The public was skeptical. But George Malley kept right on being himself. He kept right on trying to help people. He kept on being optimistic. He kept on demonstrating the greatness of the human spirit. In spite of being held prisoner, made fun of and being severely questioned and doubted, George Malley did the best things in the worst times. And so should we! The psalmist said, “In the Lord I take refuge.”
 
Dr. Hal Brady is a retired pastor who continues to present the Good News of Jesus Christ and offer encouragement in a fresh and vital way though Hal Brady Ministries (halbradyministries.com).