Let’s start with a definite piece of good counsel before anything tentative! ‘Do not fear’. Well that is pretty much good counsel, and though I have not counted them apparently that phraseology comes 365 times in Scripture. Fear is something that is very real and I love the Psalm where David makes two statements:
I trust in God and am not afraid.
The voice of strong faith!!! But he also says in the same Psalm:
when I am afraid I trust in God.
Not so strong, but ever so practical, and put the two together and he has covered his bases.
A short while ago I put out a video of ‘sight for 2022 into 2023’. In it I spoke of global food shortages, and of blights coming to harvests, and also some crisis in and among animals (for the non-vegeterians among us). I have noted today – though I am sure it has been there for some time – headlines about this, and of the cabinet of the USA meeting in September in an unusual call to look at how to respond to what they anticipate as the food crisis that is imminent.
I have repeatedly said that I see this year as being a combination of crises that somehow stack up to present a formidable challenge to global leadership. So my tentative suggestion goes something like this.
Don’t try to plan too much and have everything in vision form for the immediate 1-2 years ahead. If those plans are set they will need a lot of adjustment, with the accompanying likelihood of having to abandon them. Rather look 3-5 years ahead… then adjustments can be made without being de-railed, indeed the adjustments will play out well and enable the 5 years (or so) to align even better.
So no great wisdom in this… We can watch as things unfold: food, dollar crisis, international political handshakes that threaten stability, standoffs in the east etc… we can watch but only to a level that does not breed fear. And the storm will pass, the landscape will be different… be willing to step back from forcing things through – 2 years time what you thought you stood back from will be more accessible, and (guess what) we could be 2 years more mature by then!
No great wisdom in this post but if there is something in it I am sure you will have some sight as to how to navigate.
I wasn’t too worried about multiple crises for another couple of years. Seems obvious with all the facades coming down. All manner of things being revealed and reset. Bound to rile things up even if we discount the ongoing pandemic and war. But. But. But. . . what’s happening with those 4 waves Martin (April 10 post)? Now that was truly scary. Where are we now? Is the 3rd wave still being pushed back so that the 4th wave does not arrive? Ever? Need to know.
Ann… thanks. In response to the ‘fourth wave’ (sounds like a book title – do you think I could make BIG money???)… what do we know, but I am very active to resist it, with a big ‘God have mercy’ thrown in. I note with the Ukraine the press love to up the narrative with ‘now Putin will release nuclear…’ etc., but surely not. We cannot control the future but so much of it we have created. So many genuinely ‘good’ people – could we slowly see a new humanity arise? Hopeful!! (On my best days.)
Yes there is wisdom in this post Martin. Totally agree with the approach of not planning too much. Less is more. My work with organisations who want to identify future trends before they set a strategy often reflects their desire to control their future. Instead there is a need for an organisation/group/family/community (and maybe for us as individuals) to focus on resilience, flexibility and agility to adjust. Maybe organisations cant ‘live one day at a time’ but the attitude is nonetheless valid – keeping the eyes and ears ‘radar’ operating so we can be alerted to the changing signs of the times.
Thanks Maurice. The ‘we can make our response ahead of time so to prove we can control what is going to happen’ seems to be a non-starter now!
A bit of advice comes from scuba underwater training…some teachers will instruct you:
“When we get down in the depths, I want you to trade air mouth pieces with me so you can see how to work if your tank malfunctions and another diver is there”
Then when you go down and take off your air mask the trainer slaps your hand and does not allow you to get HIS breathing mouthpiece…
You are forced to resurface and when you ask “What the blazes?” the response is generally:
“Never take off your life support device until oyu have a better one IN HAND”…
Sound advice if you ask me…
As we trust God…we move from what we have made stable and secure to things we will need to make the next part stable and secure…but we do it sensibly.
“I trust in God, does not mean I can breath underwater without an air tank…it simply means I may have to transition to a DIFFERENT air tank but I will need to continue breathing while I do it.”