Safe in His Arms

On Monday night they were looting at the ShopRite which is less than 5 km from our house and for the first time in a long time I felt a sense of foreboding, wondering what I can and should do to protect myself and my family….On a number of different platforms I’ve heard the pained expression that our beloved country is “burning” and that the shortcomings of our government lie at the heart of the problem. God’s Word says that the problem is far more widespread and serious than that, the “whole of creation” has been subjected to “futility”, is in “bondage to corruption” and is “groaning together as in the pains of childbirth” and Jesus Christ alone has the power to “set it free” (Rom 8:20-22). Until that day, “we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved.” (Rom 8:23). As Chuck Colson puts it, “I meet millions who tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay around us. Where is the hope? The hope that each of us have is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things that we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people, and that’s where our hope is in this country; that’s where our hope is in life.” That is where our hope and confidence is, but where is our protection, where is our safety and security and comfort and strength in the present? Our security is not found in our firearms or fencing, or policing forums, although these all have their place. It is not found in how far we can remove ourselves from the heart of the trouble, or in a demonstration of personal power. Strength, peace, and preservation are not found in a particular place, but in a particular person. The safest place to be in the universe is in the arms of the God who rules the universe and in His Christ who has conquered sin and death. To be in the arms of our Father is to be sheltered in the storm, strengthened for the task, and carried and preserved in the midst of the chaos until His purpose for our lives is accomplished. This privileged position is reserved for those who have become His children through faith in Jesus Christ. We have “received the Spirit of adoption as sons” and by His Spirit we have the privilege to cry out to Him “Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:15). Follow Sunday’s sermon for an in depth look at this glorious doctrine of our adoption, “Safe in His arms” (Rom 8:12-17). On our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or website (https://midrandchapel.co.za/sermons/sermon/PkAyRQHsO9QPA9an7XdG ; https://fb.watch/6QNhxnZpeh/; https://youtu.be/5BD8pKWh4jc; )