The day the NFL team owners and players association resolved their labor dispute, NFL fans around the country were happy. The NFL is back. The regular season will start on time. Fans will have something to do on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights again this September.  If you listened to any sports talk shows on radio or TV, you know that many fans were afraid the season wouldn’t start on time. They were afraid the players and owners would never reach an agreement.  But they did.

Some people look around our nation and our world today and think that our problems will never be resolved. They are afraid that things will never get better, that they will only get worse. Since I am not a Prophet, I cannot predict the future. I don’t know what the future holds for our nation. God has certainly blessed our nation in the past. He can in the future. But that doesn’t mean that He has to.

So how do we face all of this uncertainty? You can try to escape into the wonderful world of football, but that will only give you a short distraction. You can listen to the advice of the “Talking Heads” who say buy gold, build up a year’s supply of food in your house, or make sure that candidates that represent your particular political and economic point of view are elected. I guess these things are ok. But I’m not sure they will work.

The one thing we all need to do in troubled times is put our trust in the Lord God. After all, God created us and gives us life. He provides us with all that we need, even if we don’t have everything we want. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, entered our world to rescue us from sin and restore us to God’s family. The Holy Spirit calls us to faith in God’s promises and guides us through life if we let Him.

We can trust God because He is always on the job. He is the 24 – 7 – 365 God. Psalm 121:4 tells us, “He (God) who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”  God wants us to trust Him with all of the cares and concerns we have in life. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) Even though the future is a big unknown, we don’t need to be afraid, because God loves us. Remember what John, another disciple of Jesus’ disciples wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18)

I can’t guarantee that the Detroit Lions will make the playoffs or even have a winning season. I can’t promise that our political and economic leaders will turn our nation’s economy around. But I do know that God is always with us, that he cares for us, and that His plans for us are the best. So don’t lock Him out of your life. Open yourself up to Him. You can count on Him.

Larry Courson
Pastor of Peace