Living in the Now, Not the Know

In Uganda, where my family and I lived for some years, night guards are commonly hired. Institutions, businesses, or even private residences hire guards for protection from thieves who otherwise would carry out their business without resistance or fear.

Everyone needs to be alert. And nobody wants a guard who just wants to sleep the night away. Neither does anyone appreciate a guard who will pound on your door in the middle of the night to warn you of things that turn out to be only shadows or harmless trees.

Jesus, in his final comments to Peter, James, John, and Andrew about the end times, reinforces what he has already told them in various ways: stay alert. Stay alert not only for the end itself but stay alert for false rumours and false prophets.

I once read a blockbuster book that argued with conviction that Christ would very likely return within one generation, or forty years after the 1948 birth of the modern state of Israel. Millions of others also read this book, first published in 1970 and then reprinted repeatedly. Its argument that the 1980s were likely “the end” was supported by a long list of biblical references. But the authors were wrong, just like other, similar misguided prophetic predictions.

Jesus’ words remind us that there will indeed be an end time, a time of intense suffering cut short only because of God’s great love for humanity. It will eventually lead to an entirely new earth. But Jesus’ words also remind us that nobody except God the Father knows the precise timing of these events.

This is how we are kept watchful and humble and also focused on what is most important: living in “the now,” with a spirit of thanksgiving and service.

Respond in Prayer

Loving Heavenly Father: Thank you for watching over me and the entire earth, watching like a guard, and, even when you are silent, knowing exactly what is happening. I put all the world’s tomorrows into your hands. And I put my every today into your care too.

Thomas Froese