Worrying Like It's 1999
As the calendar rolled into 1999, the world seemed fascinated that in a mere 12 months, the 1900s would give way to the new millennium. Yet, for all the excitement, fear lurked in the background in anticipation of a coming cataclysmic event: Y2K! Already, the talking heads were warning that on the next New Year’s Day, computers programmed to recognize 1900-1999 would fail as they were unable to recognize the 2000s. This would potentially result in power grids failing, dams breaking, satellites falling out of orbit, and kittens being orphaned (maybe I exaggerate). Truthfully, however, the dire warnings abounded until January 1, 2000, when, with little to no adjustments, things operated as they should. The Y2K catastrophe never materialized.
How time flies. The above panic was 25 years ago, and Y2K is, at best, a footnote in a history book. Though a quarter-century has passed, it does serve well to remind us of how thoughts of the future can easily descend into panic. Fast forwarding to the current new year, articles have already made headlines that warn the stock market will crash this summer, the U.S. housing bubble will pop, and significant division will occur due to the 2024 presidential election. While any of these may happen, their certainty is as certain as Year 2000 computer malfunction was in 1999.
The people of God, like the rest of humanity, struggle with this fear of the future syndrome; thus, God provides sound wisdom for keeping things in perspective. While future planning is never condemned, the biblical concept of preparedness is in meeting the needs of the day. As Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He instructed them to ask in this way: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). The writer James admonished readers not to believe the future is a certainty but to always preface plans with, “if the Lord wills, we will do this or that” (4:15). Other examples abound, yet these remind Christians to steer away from panic mode regarding the thought that disaster might be lurking around the corner. Come what may, God seeks to comfort His people with the knowledge that He is in control.
Irony abounds. While humans can wrestle with sleepless nights over the disaster that might come, many blissfully sleepwalk through certain disaster promised for specific failures. This is nothing new. The Bible records the disastrous endings of humans who chose to ignore His warnings. Jeremiah can well attest to this phenomenon; throughout his long and painful work, paupers to princes refused to heed his warnings of future destruction. King Zedekiah typifies what he faced. Even as the Babylonians stood at the gate, the king sought a message different than the certain future that had been prophesied. To this, Jeremiah asked, “Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’”? (37:19). Sadly, the king trusted in wrong sources; just a short while later, he watched his sons die, had his eyes gouged out, and was led away in chains to captivity.
God warns about the certain future that will be faced when we allow anger to consume us, sadness to overwhelm us, and suspicion to control us. He also warns about the outcomes of loving the world, hating brethren, and paying homage to the god of materialism. Sadly, many Christians believe that these deadly behaviors can be tolerated and controlled; they cannot. The future disaster brought about by these and other sins is certain.
Perhaps the biggest disaster ignored by most of humanity is what will happen to those who reject God. As the Lord Jesus spoke of the outcome of a life lived for God versus a life lived without Him, He stated that there are only two future outcomes: “[The unfaithful] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). Thinking God will not live up to these promises lays a disastrous foundation on which certain future disaster will come to fruition.
As in all years, 2024 will hold many surprises, both good and bad. As prognosticators seek to flood media with dire warnings, turn off the computer, put down the phone, disable the podcast, and take a pleasant walk in the sunshine. If a threat seems credible, plan accordingly but do not panic; after all, we know who is in charge. For certain, take stock of your eternity. If you are a faithful child of God, stop worrying about Hell and enjoy the blessing and undeserved privilege of knowing your eternal future is secure; dream about the day when this future becomes reality. If you have allowed ungodly behaviors to gain the upper hand, get the situation corrected today; there is no need to play recklessly with your soul. If you are not a Christian, why are you not? God has made the future clear and has made the present a time when you can come to Him for salvation. With this salvation, the future is bright, glorious, and disaster-free. The choice, therefore, is obvious!
