Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8 ESV
Living in the 21st century is not for the faint of heart. If you live in the United States like I do, this year alone has been enough to overwhelm some of us. On a larger scale, there are many things that would seek to draw our attention away from all that is good: global persecution of Christians, natural disasters, horrific crimes, and more. In The Two Towers, the second book in J. R. R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings classic work, he writes of an epic battle that takes place at the fortress of Rohan, Helm’s Deep. Rohan was vastly outnumbered and the fortress was breached. As the enemy closes in on the last of the survivors, King Théoden begins to lose hope. The world he once loved was falling to a new power of darkness and hate.
As we look at the world around us, we may sometimes feel as King Théoden in those moments. We search desperately for the smallest sign of light as the darkness seems to close in all around us. Some of us despair and begin to lose hope. Some of us give in to fear and despair, letting it drive us to harmful escapes, like drugs or alcohol. Some of us struggle with anxiety and seek release by endlessly scrolling Instagram and TikTok or binge watching TV shows, desperate for distraction. Some of us bottle up our fears and turn to coping mechanisms like denial, pretending like everything is great. Some of us try to simply “hunker down” in a safe place, avoiding all of it, and remaining quiet until the thunder isn’t so loud. And some of us get sucked into the soap box shouting matches on social media.
Regardless of how you handle the awful tensions we have experienced in the last several months (and even years) in the United States, I think King Théoden’s question in the 2002 movie version of The Two Towers resonates with all of us when he asks, “What can men do against such reckless hate?”
In times of civil unrest or turmoil, I am more like King Théoden than I’d like to admit. I give in to despair, throwing my hands in the air, asking myself, “What is the world coming to?!” My gaze is too easily drawn away from my gracious Father who knows my every need and fear. My mind is distracted by all that is false, shameful, unjust, filthy, repulsive, and wrong.
In Psalm 121, the psalmist writes, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). In my moments of crippling fear and pain, God is calling. C. S. Lewis said that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains.” When I close my eyes and imagine God shouting through the darkness, I can hear it: “Lift up your eyes! Think on these things!”
But hiding God’s Word in our heart isn’t a means to ignore what’s happening in the world. We don’t bury our heads in the Bible and pretend that it makes all the pain disappear. Rather, we pray the words of Scripture; we pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray expectantly, looking for signs of his kingdom coming and his will being done, truly believing that our prayers are not just empty words, but are faith-filled, anchored in the solid Rock. And finally, we act. True faith is always accompanied by action. So, yes; pray for God’s kingdom to come. Pray for God’s will to be done. Then look for ways to bring God’s kingdom to your corner of the earth. God welcomes us into his message, and works through people—using ordinary means—to accomplish his purposes and will on earth. And know this: you’re not alone. Millions of Christians around the world are also praying for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, and are working to that end, trusting God to work in us and through us to do exactly that.
Feeling overwhelmed? Think on these things, but don’t do it alone. The message of the gospel is for all who are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28 NIV). As citizens of heaven, it is our duty to bear witness to the kingdom of God in this world, or as John Calvin put it, “We must make the invisible kingdom visible in our midst.” Take the message of the kingdom to those struggling in the darkness. The darkness may be frightening, but as Andrew Peterson writes, “all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through.” God’s will WILL be done. His Kingdom WILL come.
A form of this article originally appeared on WHEN, a Hosanna Revival blog.
