The Tone of Earnestness Udskriv
Skrevet af Jørn Nielsen   
Lørdag, 20. juni 2020 12:16

On the Norwegian TV I once listened to a patriot who told us about his dramatic experiences during the war. He said, “There is a tone of earnestness with me which our young people don´t understand.”

The tone of earnestness is there right now, but in a different way, and I´m sure the youth over the world solemnly understands and responds. The corona virus is exposed on the screens.  Christians speak differently about it, they pause before the Lord, and “minister grace” (Eph. 4:29) to each other, not by their physical presence but otherwise.

We are covered with His feathers and do not fear “the terror by night” nor “the destruction at noonday” (Ps. 91:5, 6).  Yes, beautiful poetry by the psalmist, but what if we too become the victims of the fast running pestilence? Can we still say, “Don´t be afraid, you are under His wings!”

What about the Galilean believers “whose blood Pilate had mingled with sacrifices?”  They may have sung from the psalter too, being “accounted as sheep for the slaughter” and slaughtered they were.  Or what about those that had “obtained a good testimony”  – “not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection”?  (Hebr.11: 35, 39). They too may have sung praises right to their death.

The apostle Paul may joyfully have done that during his very last night before he laid his grey head on the block.  The old serpent may have whispered to him as he once did to Job through his wife, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity?  Curse God and die!”  (Job 2:9). He did die, but he died in triumph with the gates of Heaven open.

May we get grace enough to think in those redeeming terms.  I do it with tremble, I admit, for it´s true what a godly, elderly woman once said to me, “The Lord is going to test your sermons”.  And yet we dare not seek “air safety”.   The anxious world doesn´t know any godly terms, but we do and minister grace to each other with the language of faith.

March 22, 2020 - jn