Breaking. Something happened. In the news. Threatens to completely change life as we know it. Time to panic. BE AFRAID!

With thousand-year floods occurring annually, wars and rumors of wars, political unrest, economic turmoil, health crises and societal collapse, it’s best not to read the headlines before breakfast. Following the adage “no Bible, no breakfast,” we should be well-adorned in the armor of God before hearing the latest earth-shattering developments.

I thought I was. Yesterday, a menagerie of ominous news and developing stories knocked me off my horse and sent me into decapitated chicken mode, where I remained for several hours. When I finally turned away from the minute-by-minute updates and turned to look at God’s majesty, love and ultimate justice, the panic slowly went away. Praise God.

We know the news is not going to get better before Jesus comes. Upon reflecting on how to live without fear, a scripture came to mind combined with a quote from Desire of Ages. “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18 NKJV) and “To know God is to love Him.” That is the answer. It is the same answer found in Jesus’ prayer, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3 NKJV). If we know Jesus, we will love Him, and if we love Him, we will trust and not be afraid. The goal is to know Jesus.

I thought I did, but apparently, and regrettably, not enough. The disciples had a similar discovery one evening in a boat. A sudden violent storm frightened them. They woke Jesus, who rebuked the wind and calmed the storm. At this point, they exchanged their fear of the storm for fear of the Man who commanded authority over wind and waves. They questioned among themselves, “What manner of man is this?” (Mark 4:41). They didn’t yet really know Jesus.

My new focus is a continuation of my old focus — the pursuit of knowing God. It is following on to know the Lord (Hosea 6:3). I invite you to join me in this pursuit.

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