Let not your hearts be troubled, (John 14.1; nrsv). “If you want to be a Christian like the apostles and all the saints, prepare yourself, and know that the hour will come when your heart will be terrified and despondent. If you are secure now, you must realize that matters will soon change. This should be your attitude: May it last as long as it pleases God! Today happy and cheerful; tomorrow sad. Today alive; tomorrow dead. Today good fortune and security; tomorrow every kind of distress. Do not snore away as though no trouble were coming. “Some live as though the devil and every kind of grief no longer existed. But later, when anxiety and trouble suddenly befall them, they are immediately laid low, and their strength and courage are gone. They become completely despondent and despairing, as though comfort and hope would never return. “When the weather changes, when sickness follows days of health, war and misfortune after peace, famine after times of plenty, then there is no end to lamentations, to fear and despair. But that is not the Christian way. Christians should always think: If peace and tranquility reign today, it will be different tomorrow. The devil can soon shoot a dart (cf. Ephesians 6.16) into my heart, or some other affliction can befall me. Therefore I must see to it that when sorrows appear, I am prepared to weather the storm and draw comfort from God’s Word. ” ~Martin Luther (LW24:11-12; edited, -rdw)
Posted on: Tue, 20 May 2014 19:12:45 +0000
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