A Stable Word for an Unstable Time in the World

In a world of volatility, a reliable message is often hard to come by. We all desire accurate words and encouraging news. This may be especially true during the COVID-19 crisis we find ourselves in. Have you found information from the governing authorities to be profoundly uplifting lately? Have you found stories from the media to be overwhelmingly precise recently? Perhaps your bank statements and investment portfolio are shooting it straight with you, but do you want to listen? Undoubtedly, you have heard many words of misfortune and multiple mixed messages. But is there a fitting word, a stable message, some encouraging truth in the midst of this predicament? YES!

As my wife and I were reading last night I was uniquely struck by the word of Hebrews 13:5-6, which reads, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (ESV). Now, if you know Christ as Lord and Savior then these words ought to bring about a measure of stability and encouragement in the midst of instability and, perhaps, even discouragement. There are three key elements to be observed in this text…

1) The Call for Contentment

“Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have,” -Hebrews 13:5a

The hard truth is that this is a hard command. We live in a world that seemingly makes money a deity. We have all heard this false statement, “Money makes the world go round,” yet we are inclined to believe it. Thus we are tempted to shamefully pursue and serve money. Paul tells Timothy that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus says that we cannot serve God and serve money simultaneously (Matt 6:24). As Christians we are to keep our lives free from the love of money. Why should we be reminded of this now?

Because our Triune-God often has a way of testing our hearts to see if we are free from the love of money and perhaps you are experiencing that test now. There is no doubt that the economy has taken a drastic hit in light of this world-wide pandemic. Unemployment is on the surge. People have been laid off, and more are expected to be. The stock market has significantly declined. What is your heart’s response to all this? Do you check your stocks more thoroughly than you search the Scriptures? Do you think more about your money than you do about your God? Or are you able to say, “The LORD gives and the LORD takes away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Seek to identify the desires of your heart. They are laid bare before the Lord. Christian, if you are not already, “Keep your life free from love of money!”

Moreover, the Spirit of God through the author of Hebrews commands that we be content with what we have. Contentment is a beautiful attribute. The famous phrase of the Apostle Paul, “I can do all things through him (Christ) who strengthens me” is in the context of contentment (Philippians 4:13). Paul, whether with little or with much, had learned the secret of contentment, which is abiding in Christ! Have you learned that same secret? Are you abiding in Christ? One of the blessings of financial loss is that it shows the Christian his contentment in Christ or lack thereof. I do not intend to make light of the troubling financial situation that many may find themselves in, but I do intend to exalt God in it. The Lord has commanded the Christian to be content with what he has, whether little or much. Christian, our Lord does not command that which He does not also enable us to do. In other words, if our God has called us to do it He has also equipped us to do it. So, be content with what you have for it is all from Him!

2) The Reason for Contentment

“for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” -Hebrews 13:5b

The Lord not only equips us to obey Him, but He also gives good reason to obey Him. It is rightly argued that the fact that God has commanded us in His word ought to be reason enough for the Christian to obey. Yet, God goes far beyond the “because I said so” notion. In Scripture He gives us blessed reason after blessed reason to joyfully submit to His commands. After the call for contentment the author of Hebrews says “for”, which could also be translated “because.” Now, the author is going to give a reason as to why the Christian ought to be content; the reason is the fact that the Lord does not leave His people! Here, Hebrews quotes Joshua 1:5 when Joshua had taken over for Moses and was about to enter into the Promised Land to battle against the enemies of the Lord. Do you think Joshua might have been tempted to fret? Do you think Joshua may have experienced anxiety, or worry, or uncertainty? Of course! That is exactly why the LORD says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Oh, Christian, take heart in these uncertain times! And may you take heart in the Lord! He has not left you in the past and He certainly will not leave you now! As the tree harbors the nest and the nest harbors the bird so also are you tucked in the shelter of our Lord here on earth until He calls you to your everlasting home. The LORD told Joshua that He would never leave him nor forsake him immediately before some of the most challenging days of his life. Jesus told His disciples that He would be with them always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20) before some of the most challenging days of their lives. Are these some of the most challenging days of your life? Perhaps they are perhaps they are not, but however you answer, Christian, I am sure of this… The Lord is with you and He will never leave you nor forsake you! So, take heart.

3) The Result of Contentment

“So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” -Hebrews 13:6

Contentment in what the Lord has provided and the assurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us leads to this statement. Note that the result of contentment in the Lord is the ability to confidently say and live in light of what the Lord has declared in His word. The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 118:6 and says, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” The Lord is indeed our very present help in the time of need, thus we do not need to fear (Psalm 46:1). There is nothing that man can do to thwart our everlasting union with God in Christ. Not only is there nothing that man can do, but there is nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39). Oh, how we all need Christ! Oh Christian, how you have Christ! Do not fear man. Do not fear this virus. Do not fear the economy. Do not fear death. “Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28b).

“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear!” Can you say that with confidence?

A Word to Non-Christians

Largely, I wrote this article to encourage Christians, but I realize there may be some who come across this blog who are alienated from God being outside of Christ. In other words, there are some of you who do not have a right relationship with the God of the Bible. The love of Christ compels me to address you. Friends, everything that has been said above can be applied to you if you would only come to God through Christ. The bad news is that the spiritual death brought about by sin is far more threatening than the death brought about by any virus. Sin is rebelling against the One True God in thought, word, or deed, which we are all guilty of. Sin is deserving of physical, spiritual, and eternal death. Although there is no sinner who can naturally seek after God, there is a God who supernaturally seeks after sinners. God graciously seeks sinners in order to restore our relationship with Him, which was broken by sin. He pursues us through the gospel or "good news” of Jesus Christ. God, by becoming a man and entering into His own creation in the person of Jesus Christ, has made the only way for us to be reconciled to our Creator. Jesus lived a perfect, sin free, life in the stead of sinners. He also incurred the penalty that we deserve by taking sin upon Himself and laying down His life for sinners through crucifixion on a tree. On the third day He rose victoriously from the grave displaying power and authority over sin and death. He ascended into heaven and will come again to judge the living and the dead. If I were to die tonight I am certain that I would be in paradise with the Lord Jesus Christ, but this is not the case for many. My certainty is not in what I have done, but it is in what He has done. By God’s grace, I have called upon the name of the Lord and everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Do you believe this good news? Do you trust yourself or do you trust this truth from God’s word? Eternity is hanging in the balance. What will you say to God on your day of judgment? There will be nothing to say but that you would come to Christ! Oh, sinner, Christ is so gracious, so loving, so kind, so patient, so tender! He first came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. But do take heed! He will come again not in tenderness of heart but in judgment of all those who disobey His word. When he comes every knee will bow to His Lordship. I warn you to call upon the name of the Lord, so that on your day of judgment you can plead innocence not on the basis of your life, but on the basis of the life and blood of Jesus Christ. Come to Him in this moment and rest in Him for all eternity. Thus, you too will be able to say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear!”