“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:14-15)
Our world has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, and not just because of 9/11. Our American culture has undergone a major paradigm shift in worldview. The media and the culture now dictate truth. For centuries, truth and social constructs were based on the Word of God. Now truth is subjective based on the desires and heart of man, which the Bible teaches are corrupt. Hence we see the glorification of sinful lifestyles and the denigration of God’s Word which has always maintained that all humans are born sinners, all born in wickedness and corruption. Christ Jesus came to redeem us from that sinful hopeless and helpless estate. But as we tell others the God’s truth we are assaulted with hatred, violence, and persecution.
Maybe we cringe at the thought of persecution. After all, we want to be liked; we want to belong so we either keep silent about our beliefs or worse: we adapt our beliefs to those of the world and culture around us and still call ourselves Christian. In essence, we turn from faith to fear, we call God a liar because we think He does not know what we are going through nor can He help.
Jesus knows full well what we are enduring. As Jesus prayed His High Priestly prayer the night He was betrayed, He prayed for us, for those He loved. He asked for courage and faith that none us would fall away from faith though we will be sorely tested. Jesus’ prayer can help us to persevere for it is filled with confidence and hope in the face of the unimaginable suffering He was about to endure. Thus when we pray we ought to be confident that God hears us even when we are filled with fear. No matter what happens, the Lord will be with us.