Summer Sampler: Persevering with Perspective
This year’s Summer Sampler theme is “Persevering in a Troubling and Ever-Changing World.” Life can be hard. Sometimes, really hard. How do we persevere through circumstances that threaten to break us? This summer, journey with some women who have been through it and have come out the other side with a deeper faith and confidence in God’s love.
By Rachel Britton
Wars. Protests. Rebel takeovers. Tornadoes. Floods. World leaders denying wrongdoing. Innocent people suffering. Lives and homes destroyed. All these events and their repercussions are just one day’s news.
We can be alarmed and anxious, and say, “Surely Jesus must come back soon!” But we also want to know the best way to live each day when such horrible things are going on in the world.
One thing I’ve learned from living in big cities like New York City and London, where worrying events make headlines on a regular basis, is that being in the middle of it gives me a distinct perspective. Disturbances might be taking place, but they are not as overwhelming as they seem. Chaos can be happening in one part of the city, but a few blocks away, everything is calm. I am not as anxious as my friends and family who contact me out of concern.
With troubling national and international events, we too need a distinct perspective, so we can process, cope with, and live well in a world in crisis.
One person who teaches us a robust, levelheaded perspective is Daniel. Daniel lived in a troubled, ever-changing world. The army of Babylon had besieged Jerusalem, captured king Jehoiakim, desecrated the temple, and taken Daniel and others into exile. Added to this turmoil, Daniel had visions of and interpreted dreams of disturbing future events.
In the middle of those visions and interpretations, we discover two images that give us reassurance: “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44), and “the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool” (Daniel 7:9).
God governs all that happens in our world, down to the smallest detail: “Not even a sparrow will fall to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (Matthew 10:29 NKJV). When terrible things happen, we might be perplexed by God’s ways, but we must trust they are right, pure, and wise.
Daniel also saw someone “like a son of man” who “approached the Ancient of Days” and was “given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him” (Daniel 7:14). Daniel’s vision reminds us of Jesus’ words: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
This lofty viewpoint can be reassuring, but it only gets us so far. We need practical, down-to-earth advice for our day-to-day lives when we’re bombarded with current events.
Again, we can turn to Daniel. Daniel was not without fear. In fact, he was often very afraid and overwhelmed, and mourned the events in his world (Daniel 10:2, 8). Yet, in the middle of his distress, Daniel was told to “stand up” (Daniel 10:11).
Jesus also — after he described the fearful events in Luke 21 — said, “stand up and lift up your heads” (Luke 21:28).
In the English language, “stand” is another word for “perspective.” Our stand — our perspective — is to have a firm trust in God and to keep our eyes on Him.
Daniel committed to pray regularly, each day. Daniel gave thanks to God. Daniel asked God for help. Daniel relied completely on God. And when he was forbidden to pray to anyone other than the king, Daniel took his stand and carried on as before, praying to God. When Daniel faced a hungry lion, his perspective was to trust in God fully.
In the middle of it all, Daniel’s distinct perspective led Nebuchadnezzar and Darius to recognize God’s greatness. It can be the same for us. When our distinct perspective is to have complete confidence in God in our turbulent world, we too can lead others to acknowledge the Ancient of Days and His Son. Perhaps they too will place their trust in Him.
Rachel Britton is a British-born writer, author, and speaker whose passion is to help women become comfortable and confident in their conversation with God. Her blog “Praying Naturally” offers an extensive library of free prayer resources to help you deepen and develop your prayer life. Sign up to receive a fillable Monthly Family Prayer Calendar with scriptural prayer prompts. Rachel is available through the By Design Ministries Speakers Directory to speak at your event. She is a wife and mom to three young adults, and cannot live without a mug of English tea. Connect with Rachel on Facebook.