Many wise lawyers have begun addresses to a presiding judge using this familiar phrase: “If it please the court”. In a few words, they are recognizing the authority of the judge and the entity that has given the judge their authority. The lawyers are making a respectful argument by emphasizing their humble role in the system. They are appealing to a higher power. It seems to me that Americans would be wise to take the same approach as they talk to God about the predicament in which we find ourselves now days – because we need divine help!
Unrest, epidemics and corruption are not new. Empires have risen and fallen for millennia, and they have often fallen for the same reasons – because mankind is slow to please the highest court of the universe. Today may seem extremely troubled to those of us trying to grapple with its issues, but a brief look at history will reveal that people and countries are not any more messed up today than they have always been. One thing has changed, however; we are now more interconnected as a world, so we are more aware of, and more effected by, the chaos of other people groups than at any other time in history.
Jesus predicted a world like the one in which we now live when he said:
“Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.
They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other. In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.
Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:4-14 MSG)
When our world is topsy-turvy it causes us to search for order or meaning. We tire of politics, biases and spin. We beg, “Just the honest facts please!” That is why so many take comfort in the Bible; it doesn’t hide humanity and it doesn’t sugar-coat truth. It has stood the test of time, becoming one of the most tested and proven books in the world. A graphic that can be found on www.OpenBible.info demonstrates just how amazing the Bible is. It shows the 340,000 cross-references between the Old and New Testament. Even though the Bible was written by many different authors who lived in many different times and places, there is incredible unity within Scripture – because it was inspired by the ultimate judge of the universe.
Since we are watching the predictions of Jesus come to pass, it should make us want to turn to the Supreme Authority of life, whether or not it pleases the mob, the financially powerful, the political elites or the religious rulers of our day. Soon we will all stand before the King or Kings who is called the “Righteous Judge”. We would be wise to approach Him today with the words, “If it please the court,” and then live our lives in a way that truly pleases Him.