I have a friend who reads the last chapter first when she starts a new
thriller. “Takes the anxiety out of reading,” she claims. So with Christians:
Because we know the end of the story, we can be centers of peace in the midst
of utter chaos, calm in the face of disaster.
The apostle Paul calls this attitude “moderation” in Philippians 4:5
(kjv). It’s a term that implies “peace under pressure.” It refers to the calm
and deliberate strength with which we meet the disquieting circumstances of our
days. Kingdoms may fall, friends may falter, churches may fold, oceans may
rise, and mountains may crumble, but we can be at peace.
How do we maintain such composure? By remembering that “the Lord is at
hand” (Phil. 4:5); He is near. Our Lord is standing just outside the door ready
to burst through and turn everything that’s wrong right-side up. Then this
world and all its troubles will become the kingdom of our Lord, and “the earth
will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover
the sea” (Hab. 2:14).
Jesus said, “Surely I am coming quickly” (Rev. 22:20). Today could be
the day! It’s the very last thing He said in the very last chapter of His book.
