Danger! Danger!

As I watch and read the news of the world there is one word that describes what I see all around me- danger!  And the result, the response of men and women is fear.  It's a scary world!  I don't think anyone would disagree with that.  There is no longer a safe place to be.  If it’s not war then weather.  If it’s not terror then trouble.  If it’s not drought then disaster.  If it’s not disease then dread of what might be.  

All around us the world screams "Danger! Danger!"  But as I thought about it I wondered if this is the application for the follower of Jesus Christ.  Are we really ever in danger?  Are we ever in a place, a time when dangers around us should cause us to fear?  And so, I looked up the definition for danger.  That's always a great place to start.  Here it is,

Danger- liability or exposure to harm or injury; risk; peril

And suddenly I realize that I am NEVER in danger!  I am a child of the God who made everything!  I am a son of the sovereign of the universe.  I am never in a place where the world's definition of danger affects me because I'm a son of God.

If I do suffer martyrdom for my faith it was part of God's great plan for my life and in a moment I step into eternity.  Danger is for those who fear death, but when fear of death is gone so is danger.

If I suffer financial loss and find myself homeless I am never in danger because my father will care for me.  Peril in the world may be part of God's great plan for me as I live for him.  If it's from his hand there is no danger in it.

And suddenly, as I unfold all the fears I have about life in this world, the dangers and terrible results that might come with them disappear.  When the sovereign is in charge I'm never in danger!

David, the one man who knew "fear" and "danger" better than anyone wrote these words.  Each time I read them they dispel all fear, all threats of danger in the scary world we live in,

"God is our refuge and strength,

    always ready to help in times of trouble.

So we will not fear when earthquakes come

    and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Let the oceans roar and foam.

    Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" Ps. 46

Danger?  Never!  Everything ahead is an opportunity to see God work or an opportunity to see God in person.  When God is in charge "Let the mountains tremble".....I'm ready for anything because my Father loves me and he’s the sovereign of the Universe!