Looking Through Personal Upheavals
Scripture: “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.” (Luke 21.25-26, ESV)
MAIN POINT: When our personal world falls apart, Christ calls us to look through the chaos to see Him who remains steadfast.
Jesus describes cosmic upheaval—nature itself in convulsion. But we don’t have to wait for stars to fall to experience a world falling apart. For many of us, the upheaval is intensely personal: a marriage crumbling, a career ending, a diagnosis that changes everything, a child who walks away from faith, a financial disaster that destroys years of careful planning.
In these moments, we face the same temptation Alypius faced at the gladiatorial games. We can try to close our eyes, pretending the crisis isn’t happening. Or we can become fixated on the chaos, unable to see anything else, consumed by anxiety about “what is coming.” But Christ calls us to a third way: look through the upheaval to see Him.
When your marriage is struggling, look through that pain to see Christ who says, “By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21.19). He is present in your suffering. When you lose your job and the ground crumbles beneath your feet, look through that instability to see Christ who is the solid rock. When you’re diagnosed with cancer or watching a loved one decline, look through that mortality to see Christ who conquered death and promises resurrection.
The chaos is real. The pain is real. But Christ is more real, and He is with you in it all.
Reflection: Our personal upheavals can become the very places where we encounter Christ most powerfully. What upheaval threatens your peace? How can you look through it to see Christ?
Prayer: Gracious Father, in the midst of personal chaos and uncertainty, help us see Christ who remains constant. Give us faith to trust Your presence even when we cannot see the way forward. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Responses