Do you understand your times? This seems difficult to do these days, and if we can’t read the signs of the times, how do we respond? How do we follow Jesus in our context if we can’t read our context well? I have good news for you. We have the Holy Spirit…
From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.
1Chronicles 12:32 NLT
The Spirit teaches you everything you need to know.
1John 2:27 NLT
Earlier in Chronicles the descendants of Issachar are referred to as mighty men of valor. Here we see they understood the times and knew what to do. As supporters of David and of him becoming king instead of Saul, this group was an ace up the sleeve…
Someone quoted this verse to me recently and I couldn’t get it out of my head. If there is anything true about 2023, it’s that the times we live in have become increasingly difficult to understand. And when we don’t understand our times, it can be impossible to know what to do.
It’s quite easy for me to confess I don’t understand the times and I don’t know what to do. Sometimes in my work, we talk about finding the right next step and being willing to step out in faith to take it. We know our dream. We know our vision. We know what we think the path is to get there. But paths twist and turn in post-pandemic times.
During times like this, it is gold to have someone who understands, brings insights, and knows what to do. As I have been reading in the book of 1John, this person today for you and me is the Holy Spirit. Here’s what John adds to the conversation:
“20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth… 27 you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”
1John 2:20, 27 NLT
We are not like the rest of the world, struggling without hope to understand and respond to the world. We are children of God who have the Holy Spirit continuing to speak truth to us and helping us sustain fellowship with Christ. The Spirit teaches us what to do.
May it be said of the children of the Spirit: ‘All these people understood the signs of the times, in the Spirit, and knew the best course to take from his guidance.’
Amen.
Marc Kinna
marckinna 