Why Christians Don't Have to Fear the Collapse
I read quite a few predictions of doom over the weekend, including some from self-professed tech optimists. Supposedly, some infrastructure in the United States is under attack. The idea is that AI is becoming too powerful and will overwhelm whatever safeguards we have in place to protect things like our water systems and electricity.
The proposed solution is to prepare for the disaster by buying generators, solar panels for generators, and stockpiling water and other basic supplies. However, the authors acknowledge that there is little we can do to truly protect ourselves from the danger.
Are the threats real? I do not know. But I do know that Christians do not need to worry for two reasons.
We’ve Been Here Before
No, we have not seen a tech apocalypse. But if you read the history of Israel and the prophets, you realize that God’s people have often been on the brink of disaster.
One of the main themes of Isaiah is this: when it looks like your world is falling apart and your security is very much in question, whom will you trust? Isaiah’s audience panicked and failed this test because they refused to trust the Lord. But Isaiah’s answer is clear: the Lord is our only confidence. We can never create our own self-salvation strategies. The only realistic solution is to trust in God.
International unrest? Imminent threats? The collapse of prosperity and stability? God’s people have faced these dangers before, and God has shown us where to turn.
God Is Strong Enough for the Worst We Will Ever Face
Engineers design structures to withstand more forces than they’re expected to face. They don’t build them for normal stresses; they build them for disasters that may never come. Still, there’s a limit to what these structures can handle.
God cannot only handle all the stresses of the world, but he can handle the complete collapse of the world, and he will never fail.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
(Psalm 46:1-3)
The Psalmist imagines the worst that could happen to the world, — the earth collapsing, mountains falling to the sea, waters churning — and then places his confident hope in God. When everything that we thought was stable collapses, we can reassure ourselves that God remains stable and available to us as a refuge.
I have been thinking a lot about this lately. The world is very much in turmoil. I have been alive a long time now, and it has been a while since I have seen this level of alarm about world events and the impending collapse of civilization. I have lived a good part of my life through a relatively peaceful time that no longer exists.
But we do not need to fear. We have been here before, and no matter what happens, we have a confident hope. Therefore, we do not have to be afraid.
