That 2020 has been a wild year goes without saying. The death of Kobe Bryant, the onset of COVID-19, murder hornets, the election, and the unprecedented use of the word "unprecedented" have inspired meme pages and serious spectators alike to contemplate the end of the world.
The apocalypse is seldom associated with happy feelings. To the contrary, it is paired with magnanimous uncertainty and fear of pain and death. As I write this two days before the election – where members of both political parties equate the opposite candidates to impending doom – I think about the eerie stillness in Minas Tirith as Gandalf and Pippin took the "deep breath before the plunge" awaiting the "Great Battle of our Time".
They stood patiently in darkness until at last the armies of Mordor came. Catapults tore at the city walls and attack trolls stood ready to destroy the soldiers stationed behind them. Pippin was afraid, as almost any of us would be. In one of my favorite dialogues in the entire LOTR trilogy, he turned to Gandalf and spoke his own mind and many of ours:
Pippin: "I didn't think it would end this way."
Gandalf: "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it…"
Pippin: "What, Gandalf? See what?"
Gandalf: "White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise."
Pippin: "That isn't so bad."
Gandalf: "No. No it isn't."1
A peaceful smile crept across Pippin's face as he pondered the joy that waited for him when he left his body. But multitudes of Americans do not have that kind of assurance, for they see the results of a single election as the crux of human history. Defeat means certain death, and victory means triumph for four years until the cycle repeats all over again.
That is not how you have to live your life!
Don't get me wrong, a lot is at stake this year. But I have no need to comment on it, because the End2 is exciting – even if things go south and I die on the way there.
I don't know what end of the political spectrum you're on or what 2020 has thrown at you, but I want you to know that your fear can end. As you sit alone fighting depression and anxiety while simultaneously dreading the outcome of Tuesday's voting, there is One who sees you.
He knows everything about you, including the number of hairs on your head, the trauma you've been through, and every thought in your mind. And He loves you.
As your mind races to catastrophe, He is reminding you that there is hope3. Not "cross your fingers and hope for the best" kind of hope. But confirmed, 100% guaranteed kind of hope. Everything you're afraid of and more is exactly what someone experienced on a cross, and He did it all because He loves you.
His name is Jesus, and He died for all your rebellion with Mordor as well as mine. By believing in Him you can be confident of seeing "white shores, and beyond, and a far green country under a swift sunrise." And guess what? By knowing that "death is just another path," you will be strengthened to be fearless while you still have life.
Therefore, with God we do not need to be afraid of the Apocalypse. Will it be painful? Yes. But will we win? Absolutely. It is written, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."4
God is not afraid of the election or the rest of 2020, and we don't need to either. Be strong!
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." – Joshua 1:9
"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." – Revelation 12:11
P.S. If you want to talk about any of this I'd love to do so, so feel free to message me through Facebook (johnathan.ford.39) or Instagram (johnathanford1)!
Footnotes:
1. A Far Green Country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-odIIQORQ4
2. Revelation 21:4 - no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.
3. Boromir – "Even now there is hope left": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hesOeiv_l7I
All biblical references are in ESV.
