from Gary Hamrick
... Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Chapel

... The Christian lifts his head in a troubled world because his redemption is secured in Christ

Luke 21:28 NKJV (devotion translation)

Jesus did not speak about the troubles of the world so that His people would live in fear. He spoke plainly about them so that His people would live with discernment, steadiness, and hope. In Luke 21, He described distress, upheaval, and uncertainty, yet His instruction to believers was not to panic, but to look up. That is a deeply important command for the Christian life.

The Lord knows that the events of this fallen world can unsettle the heart. Wars, confusion, and the shaking of earthly things remind us that this present age is not secure. But Scripture continually turns our eyes away from fear and back to the sovereignty of God. Nothing unfolds outside His knowledge. Nothing threatens His authority. History is not moving aimlessly; it is moving toward the return of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus says, “lift up your heads,” He is calling His people to live in confidence rooted in redemption. Our hope is not in stable circumstances, peaceful headlines, or human control. Our hope is in the risen Christ who has promised to come again. The same Savior who bore our sin at His first coming will complete His redeeming work at His return. For the believer, that day is not a threat, but a promise.

This does not make us indifferent to suffering, nor does it make us careless about the world around us. It makes us watchful, prayerful, and grounded. We grieve what is broken, but we do not grieve as those without hope. We live faithfully in the present because we know who rules the future.

So when the world feels unstable, remember that Christ remains unshaken. When your heart is tempted to sink, let His Word lift your eyes higher. Redemption is not uncertain for those who belong to Him. The Lord who saved you is also the Lord who is coming for you.

Lord, keep my heart steady in troubled times and teach me to live with my eyes fixed on Christ and the hope of His return. Amen.