In
my office hangs a large copy of the popular poster “Keep Calm and Carry On.” This
poster has an interesting origin. It was the third in a series of morale boosting
posters developed by the Ministry of Information at the outbreak of WWII. The
first two posters were used extensively. The third, “Keep Calm and Carry On,”
was to be used after the anticipated German invasion of England. That invasion
never happened, so the posters were never used.
Nearly
60 years later, a bookseller for Barter Books stumbled upon a copy of this
poster. Since then “Keep Calm and Carry On” has taken on a life of its own. The
sentiment of this rather straight forward poster has resonated with many
people. Today there are multiple variations of this simple idea.
Although
we are not living under the threat of an invasion by a foreign army, we are
living in tumultuous times. We are faced with the threat of radical Islam,
coupled with the continued marginalization of Christianity. Our political
system is in disarray. Our economy, although growing, is still unstable and
unsettled. There are many things that can cause us to become fearful and lose
our perspective.
As
followers of Christ, the call to keep calm and carry on should send us to the
Savior. In fact, although the Bible doesn’t use the phrase, the theme of keep
calm and carry on is prominent in scripture. It is truly a call to put our
trust in God and follow His lead.
In
our world today, it is so easy to get caught up in all the turmoil and conflict
and to lose hope. Yet Jesus assures us that our hope is secure in Him. In John
16, Jesus assured His disciples, and us, that we are secure in Him. "I have told you these things, so that
in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world." John 16:33
In
times like this, it is easy to let anxiety and worry take over our lives. Satan
would love to inflame our anxiety into panic. Panic is the worst possible
response to a difficult situation. Instead of letting our anxiety build, we can
take it to Jesus. Paul assures us that if we bring our anxiety to Jesus, He
will replace it with His peace. Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be
evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
The
thing that Satan wants to do right now is immobilize us. If he can fill our
lives with anxiety, get our eyes off of Jesus and onto the turmoil of our world,
and isolate us out of fear, then he can effectively neutralize our witness in
the world. Fear and panic most often causes us to close down. We go into
survival mode, by shutting out the rest of the world. Instead of engaging our
world in meaningful ways, we hide from our world, and cast stones at it from a
distance.
God
wants us to keep clam and carry on.
Instead of shutting out the world, God wants us to engage our world in His
power. We are not powerless to face the challenges around us. We have all the resources
we need. We have the power of the Holy Spirit within us. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the
one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
In
the face of the challenges in our world, instead of shrinking back, we need to
press forward. The Kingdom of God will prevail. Jesus has already won the
victory by His death and resurrection. We have been called to press that
victory forward. Even the very gates of hell cannot prevail against the power
of the Gospel. So in the name of Jesus I challenge you to keep calm and carry
on!
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
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