Turned Around by the Truth

(Luke 6:21)

Jesus continues the Beatitudes in this verse saying, “Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.” The truth of the New Covenant and a relationship with Jesus are the catalysts for this transformation in the lives of people.

How many people in this world today are hungry? How many people in the world today are weeping? Countless millions! I read today somewhere that there are something like 98,000 searches a day on Google in the USA alone on depression. Not to mention the pictures in the news media of people starving through famine, or worse, through inhumanity under dictatorships and evil regimes.

But when a person turns to Christ He provides the aid and resources needed to overcome suffering. He who provided manna to the nation of Israel while they wandered the wilderness and were fed by the hand of God for forty years, and he who fed the multitudes of people with just a few loaves and small fish is more than capable of providing for you. His people do not suffer needlessly or go without the things required for this life. His promises on these matters are given and kept.

What is the key to these things? There are two keys, faith and hope. Through faith we receive the promises of God when we come to him. Through faith we humble ourselves under his hand, recognising his power to overcome and give us the victory in any situation. And it is by faith that we receive the blessings of God in whom we put our trust.

And when we have faith we receive hope. Hope is a great comfort for it says, “Better times and better things are ahead.” It is hope that lifts us up when we are down because we know that the Lord stands for us, ready to help when we ask him and trust him. It is hope that keeps us going in the face of the darkness that surrounds this world. Look at the issues plaguing society today. Recession, famine, war, man’s inhumanity to man, natural disasters, earthquakes, fire, flood and the list goes on. Is it any wonder that the people of the world are in distress? Is it any wonder that they weep now for fear of what is to come?

But in Christ we have hope and do not weep for we know that this is to happen. The Lord has pre-warned us of the signs of the end times and that it will get worse. Should we be doom-sayers? No, we should recognise the times and look forward to them for they mean that the Lords return is soon. He is coming and all the world will see it. When? I don’t know and nor does anyone else. But the things we are seeing are the signs of his soon to be return to the earth to collect to himself all those who are waiting for him.

I know this might all sound a little disturbing and frightening, and it is. But from the things going on around us we need to understand the times and be prepared. Trust in the Lord and he will provide the answers you seek and he will satisfy the hungry, both in the physical sense and those who are hungry for his righteousness and truth, and he will turn weeping to laughter when we learn from him and take the message of the gospel to heart.