“…if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” – Psalm 11:3
Fire Plan
Growing up, our family had a fire plan. If I was in my bedroom and heard the smoke detector go off, I was supposed to get a blanket, put my desk chair under it, and smash through my bedroom window. After jumping out, I was supposed to run to the mailbox and wait there to meet up with Mom, Dad, and McKenzie. I am really glad that God spared me from ever needing to jump out of my window with a burning house behind me.
But for just a minute, I want you to think about what might have happened if I did hear that smoke alarm go off as a kid. What if the smoke alarm went off, and instead of following the plan my parents gave me, I went rogue and decided to do my own thing? One real risk is that, in choosing my own way, I may have died. And what about my parents? What would that have said to them if I decided to run my own play in that moment instead of listening to them? Or worse, I could have put someone else in danger.
Freak Out
We live in a culture that is under fire. Or we can at least say that an alarm has been sounded. All day long, people are pulling fire alarms and sending up signals of distress—economic alarms, social alarms, political alarms, educational alarms, and any other lever possible to be pulled. We are bombarded from all different angles with one simple truth—our culture is in chaos, and the only appropriate response seems to be to freak out.
In the midst of cultural chaos, who are we to be? Do we have a fire plan as a church? Not a literal one, but a mode of operation during alarm? Does who God is have any bearing on how we should respond in a culture of distress? Do any of God’s commands or promises lead us toward responding any differently than people who do not know and trust Him?
We cannot determine what will happen in history. In the next 5 years, there may be another Great Awakening or there may be another World War. But I can guarantee you this: 5 years from now, God will still be on His throne. He will be unfazed, unchanged, and unmoved, and those who take refuge in Him will be engaged aliens and prophetic pilgrims—calm, consistent, filled, content, grateful, witnessing both in word and deed to the gospel of the risen Jesus.
So, if God is not freaking out, then why are we?
Another Way
Aren’t we tired of responding to the alarm of our culture in the same way as those who have no hope in a Risen Savior? Aren’t we just acting like the world would expect us to act when we either retreat into escapism or assimilate towards fanaticism?
But there is good news. While everything is falling down all around us and foundations are crumbling underneath us, God is here today to invite us into His Kingdom which can never be shaken. God wants to show us who He really is, so that we can learn to trust Him and live as His ambassadors to a fallen world.
Conclusion
Over the next few weeks, we are going to consider Psalms 11 and 12 to understand why our world is falling apart and how we should respond. We will start by observing the cultural chaos that David writes these two Psalms from. Then, we are going to behold a vision of God—His Reign Is Righteous and His Promise is Pure. Finally, we will be ready to turn and discuss our family fire plan as the people of God.
