“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” — 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NIV84)
“Houston, we have a problem.” These were the immortal words spoken by Apollo 13 Mission Commander James Lovell on April 13, 1970. A mysterious explosion rocked the command module of their spacecraft halfway to the moon. The blast destroyed one oxygen tank and punctured a second, effectively crippling both the mission and its crew.
The shaken astronauts pulled all their resources together (along with ideas and assistance from Mission Control on the ground). Using things like plastic bags, duct tape, cardboard and good old-fashioned resourcefulness, they were able to eventually make the ship flightworthy.
In the Apollo 13 movie, Gene Kranz (Lead Flight Director), overhears a concerned NASA Administrator telling someone, “This could be the worst disaster in NASA’s history.” Director Kranz then turns to the men and utters these immortal words, “With all due respect, gentlemen, I believe this will be our finest hour.” Amen!
Just like the crew of Apollo 13, we can feel like everything is working against us. When we are confronted with things like Covid-19, riots, police problems, dirty politics, natural disasters, droughts, fires, job loss, etc. it can seem like the world is out of control! Coupled with those things, add in personal issues like marriage problems, financial stress and health difficulties. We can feel hopeless.
Fear or Faith?
Church, when bad things happen to us or when we are wronged by sinful people, do we still believe God is in control? Do we act like it? If we could transport ourselves forward in time one year, what would we see looking back? Would we like what we saw? Would we see fear or faith displayed in our lives? If you don’t like what you think you’d “see” then what changes need to be made?
Let me leave you with this final question. Will this year be a year of disaster for you and your family, or will this be your finest hour?
Trusting God with you,