In her book, Discipline, The Glad Surrender, Elizabeth Elliot’s concluding paragraph of Chapter 2, entitled, ‘How Do We Know We are Called, she comments about C. S. Lewis’, the child Lucy, a character in the Chronicles of Narnia, from the book, Prince Caspian.
She writes, “For Lucy, believing was seeing. The others could not at first because they would not. It is always thus. The believer alone will be able to hear the call. It comes from beyond ourselves, beyond our society, beyond our climate of opinion and prejudice and rebellion and skepticism in which we live, beyond our time and tastes. It draws toward the center of all things, that still place of which T.S. Eliot wrote:
Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled
Against the centre of the silent world.
Question: Are you, am I, are we, is the Body of Christ ready for such a moment in which we need to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church as the ‘unstilled world’ races headlong in circles around us?
Elliot’s words were penned, then published in 1982. Her words reflect the society in which she lived and observed then :what is the condition of our society today? What is “the climate of opinion and prejudice and rebellion and skepticism” in which we live in 2023? Has it grown beyond our “…time and taste…”?
We find ourselves living in uncertain times. There is ‘unprecedented unrest’. Most of us, I believe, would probably confess that we do not really want to live in these uncertain times of unrest. But the reality of the moment cannot be dodged. We might even find ourselves fearful that this unrest may escalate into conditions that will unravel the nations of the world and may even destroy the fabric of our own nation, unhinging a lifestyle that plummets into chaos, fear, turmoil and uncertainty.
It is certainly easy to speculate and collapse mentally into that frame of thought. As T. S. Eliot wrote, “the unstilled world is whirling.” Eliot’s whirling is the ‘unprecedented unrest’ that we are witnessing and embracing in the world today.
Jesus put it this way, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b, NKJV)
Ah!, the word tribulation. A word that engenders much speculation, engaging Bible readers, Bible students, Bible scholars, pastors and teachers to theorize about end-time events.
A lot of that is happening at this time. I am not minimizing that thought. However, I want to encourage you to stay focused on the Lord, His Word and the community of the believers that you fellowship with regularly.
Returning to T. S. Eliot’s words, “the unstilled world (the one in tribulation) is still whirling about becoming increasingly more chaotic and tumultuous; and as Eliot points out, it is whirling (swirling) “about the centre of the silent Word”-God’s Word. Who is the Word of God? Jesus. (see John 1:1-5) [inserts mine]
Visualize with me the following: Can you see the overlay of Christ’s Words to His disciples in John 16:33b placed upon Eliot’s prose? Christ, Who is the Word of God has overcome the world. His position is one of quietness overlaying the whirling tribulation pulsating throughout the nations.
The world may raise its turmoil, chaos, and fanaticism; but it cannot overcome Christ. Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection has brought death to death. The world, the flesh, and the devil have no power over the Son of God. Jesus Christ is Lord. All authority and power has been given unto Him. Jesus ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand of His Father, God Almighty. The enemy has been defeated and in Christ, we share in His triumphal victory.
That reminds me of the words of a song, “O Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever, He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood, He loved me ‘ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him, He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.” (E.M. Bartlett, Victory in Jesus lyrics copyright Albert E Brumley & Sons)
Upon what are you focused? In Whom are you resting? In Whom are you taking refuge? Do not allow yourself to get caught up in the “unstilled world” and its “whirling”.
Let us stop here for a moment and reflect upon Psalm 62:1-8. (Using the Tree of Life Version)
“My soul waits in stillness only for God-from His comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress–I will never be moved. How long will you assault a man to crush him, like a leaning wall, a fence to be torn down? They only plot to topple him from his rank. Delighting in falsehood, they bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse. Selah. My soul wait in stillness only for God–for from Him comes my expectation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my strong tower–I will not be moved. On God, my salvation, and my glory is the rock of my strength. My refuge is in God.
The title to this post is ‘Upon What are You focused?’ I trust that your focus has been changed from ‘What’ to ‘Whom’.
Question: Upon Whom Are You Focused?
In our time of turmoil, chaos, uncertainty, and ‘unprecedented unrest’, our refuge must be in God not in political leaders, not in the leaders of the nations of the world, but in the One who rules Sovereignly over all the nations of the world.
Does God use the leaders of nations to accomplish His ends? Absolutely. The history of civilization is a testimony to His Sovereignty.
“There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God. O, Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet, Near to the heart of God, A place where we our Savior meet, Near to the heart of God.
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There is a place of full release, Near to the heart of God, A place where all is joy and peace, Near to the heart of God.
chorus.
Author: Cleland Boyd McAfee (1903)
In closing this post, I would like to direct your attention to my post, ‘Finding Refuge in the Lord’. It can be found and read at livingwordsofencouragement.com
Blessings, a brother in Christ,
Living Words of Encouragement 