A WORD FOR TODAY, October 31, 2024
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, October 31, 2024
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30, WEB
We are living in a time of stress. I suppose that every time has its own stresses, and we aren’t really any worse off than they were a decade, a century, or a millennium ago. We have our own difficulties and the cause us stress today. Too many of us in the United States are struggling with the upcoming election. People are afraid of what will happen. It doesn’t matter who is our choice, we look at the opponent with fear. What will our country look like on November 6th? How will the winners respond? How will the losers respond? Will there be gloating or will there be violence? People are anxious.
I joked after I early voted last week that we could stop all the political talk. It wasn’t going to happen because there were still many people who could be swayed by the commercials and reports, but I was done with the stress. Unfortunately, it won’t really end on November 5th. The election talk will go on for months, probably years. The winners will be criticized for everything they do, and the losers (from either side) will argue that something was false about the election. There will be repercussions whatever happens on Tuesday and truth is getting lost in the emotion of this time of stress.
We can go to the scriptures to help us through all our emotions, especially when everything seems out of control. You have seen the lists; you may even have one tucked inside your Bible. Are you worried? Read Matthew 6:19-24. Are you lonely? Read Psalm 23. Are you traveling? Read Psalm 121. Are you bitter? Read 1 Corinthians 13. Your lists may have similar or different quotations, but they are all designed to help us trust that God will get us through.
Martin Luther was a man who lived in a time of stress. We often think there has never been a time of greater anxiety than today, but have you studied the world of Martin Luther’s Day? There was political and religious upheaval. He experienced three plagues during his lifetime. Violence and war were rampant; he knew people who were killed for their faith. Martin Luther was personally threatened, and he dealt with personal tragedy and ill health. He didn’t let any of that stop him from living to the glory of God.
He was the first ever best-selling author in history, having written many books and pamphlets, some of which have been translated into dozens of languages and are still selling well five hundred years later. He traveled extensively, and not like we do today. He walked from Erfurt to Rome, an 800-mile trek over the Alps in the cold of winters. He exhausted himself with work in his parish and at the university. He micromanaged every step of the publication of his books, concerning himself with every detail including font and illustrations. On top of this, he had a family and a congregation who needed him. He didn’t hide from the plagues, but he and Katie took people in and helped them at risk of contracting the disease. We could write more about the reasons that Martin should have been afraid, of all the things that could have caused him anxiety, but Martin looked to the One who gave peace and hope. He knew he had no reason to fear. He looked to the scriptures for help.
He had a list, but it wasn’t a list of random quotes to get him through one moment or another. He read the entirety of this list, which goes through a progression beginning with a reminder that those who do God’s work will be persecuted and ending with the assurance that God does more abundantly for us than we can imagine to His glory. In between are reminders of the work we are to do in our faith journey, reminders that God is our refuge and that He takes our burdens. Wait! Be glad! The Lord is near! These are all promises we would do well to be reminded of daily. The list also shows that God will forgive through Jesus Christ. A few texts that don’t make sense at first because they seem cruel and out of God’s character remind us that His enemies will be defeated by their own foolishness. God will guard those who are not ashamed of the Gospel.
Each of those texts (listed below) might fit certain moments of need, but Luther read through the entire list because it tells the whole story of God’s love for His people and the work He does for their sake. We are consoled not by a quick verse here and there, but by the entirety of God’s promises. That’s the way to find rest in God’s Word, to give up our burdens and trust in God through our journey of life and faith. The next few days, weeks, months, and even years will be a time of anxiety, but we can find peace in the midst of the chaos by turning to God’s Word.
Passages with which Martin Luther consoled himself: 2 Timothy 3:12; Philippians 2:12, 13; John 10:17,18; Matthew 16:18; Psalm 46:1,2; 1 John 4:4; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 27:14; John 16:33; Luke 17:5; Psalm 32:11; Psalm 145:18–19; Psalm 91:14–16; Sirach 2:11; 1 Maccabees 2:61; Matthew 6:31; I Peter 5:6,7; Matthew 10:28; Romans 4, 6; Hebrews 5, 9; 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Samuel 31:4-8; 1 Samuel 2:30; 2 Timothy 2:17-19; 2 Timothy 1:12; Ephesians 3:20, 21
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