Balance of Nature
This is a concept I’ve noticed for a lot of years. It seems that there should be a balance between hot & cold, light & dark, fast & slow, smart & dumb, luck & unlucky, wet & dry, good & bad, etc. When one extreme is evident & dominant the other shows up to produce the “balance of nature.” My uncle who was a Judge & Coroner in Arizona said his County would run smoothly for a good while; then bang, deaths in series of three. Other examples below:
-- A long season of normal seasons & weather, then a tornado or hurricane or drought.
-- A long season of good stable economy, then a recession or depression.
-- How about the 777-airliner loaded with people, that crashed in San Francisco in July '13 - nearly all survived. Then the 777 that crashed (?) south of Malaysia in March '14 - all perished.
-- The motorist with a good driving record for decades, then falls asleep at the wheel or gets T- boned.
-- The gambler with good luck for a long spell, then lose it all in one evening's gaming.
-- Liberace & other extremely talented musicians, but gay or psychotic in personal life.
The concept B. of N. I have noticed in many aspects of life. But as a Bible student, I see it in the Book too. In the garden we had perfection, but the serpent/tempter appeared. Job went from boom, to bust, back to boom. The Israelites went from captivity in Egypt to freedom in the Sinai desert. The centuries of the Judges saw contrasts & extreme swings in Israelite integrity & then faithlessness. The centuries of the Kings saw the same cycles. Then of course when the Messiah appeared, we see the people generally for Christ, but at His trial they changed & asked for a murderer. Another “balance of nature” will be the contrast between the first advent of Christ (AD 1 or so) & the second (any time now.) “Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him – his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men – so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, . . . they shall understand.” Isaiah 52:13-15
This essay is not about the second coming of Christ, but it will be the most intense contrast/balance of nature ever. The point of this short message is that the contrasts we see all around us – physical, political, spiritual, financial, inter-personal, etc. are what life is made of. But things even out – storms pass over. And if you feel that this big harsh confusing world wants to smash you like a bug, be encouraged that God is ultimately in control & uses extremes & contrasts to shape character. He wants to lift you & me to new heights in spite of the contrasts.
When we have faith & look to Christ for answers, a healthy balance can appear. In the salvation of Christ & His blessing & hope of eternal life, there is a kind of peace & “balance” this world can’t understand. “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 And for those souls stressed & discouraged by negative trends, think about O. Robert’s main slogan – “Something good is going to happen to you.” God is a good God with a good plan for those who believe. “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 Things will even out in your life and mine. See also Romans 8:28. Choose Jesus, He is alive.
Many other interesting titles: www.gospelnotes.org * * F. J. Stone * *
92
