In Ecclesiastes 1:9, Solomon proclaims, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” That might explain the following verses from Isaiah, written thousands of years ago, that read like they were written yesterday.
“Do not call conspiracy
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear.” Isaiah 8:12-13
Conspiracy theories receive a lot of credibility today because there is a widespread belief that we are being manipulated by the power of others. When there is no higher level to appeal to, not the Lord Almighty or even the common good, there is just a power game where the most powerful win. In his recent book on the future of freedom, Os Guinness writes, “If all relations are negotiated solely by power, the best protection against the unwanted power of others is to approach everyone with suspicion … the outcome is an aging society fueled by pervasive suspicion, mistrust, rumor, conspiracy theories and cynicism. … suspicion is the best insurance against the mounting menace of manipulation by the power of others.”*
When I read that, I immediately thought Os had been talking to my 21-year-old son, Chandler. He definitely carries that suspicion of everyone, as do a host of other millennials and probably many of the rest of the population, because it is a prevailing attitude of the culture of the day. There is no one we can trust — no central source of information we can all agree on. Everyone goes to the news source that confirms what they already believe. If you believe in conspiracy theories, you go to the news source that reports them as fact. If you don’t, you go to the news source that debunks them.
So what am I going to tell you? The same thing Isaiah told us. I’m going to tell you not to be afraid. Conspiracy theories or not — do not fear what they fear, instead, regard the Lord Almighty as holy and fear Him. Whatever you believe, that’s the important thing: not to be afraid. If you are afraid, you are ceasing to believe that God is the Almighty God above all other power and authority. If God is no more powerful than the latest conspiracy, then we are all in big trouble. Might as well put your hope in Santa Claus.
But God is God. He is over all, in all and through all. No one and nothing can conspire against Him. So love Him. Honor Him. Fear Him. Even if it is all a power game (and it is not) He is the one on top.
Don’t miss our interview with Os Guinness tonight. (Hint: It’s being pre-recorded and you can you can listen any time after 2 pm Pacific by clicking here.)
*Guinness, Os, The Magna Carta of Humanity, Inter Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2021, pp 111-112.
John Fischer The Catch 
Conspiracies — even actual ones — make God laugh.
“Why do the nations conspire and the people plot in vain? …
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.”
Psalm 2:1,4
Ha!
Your last two paragraphs nailed it. We are in a time where you cannot tell who a true believer is by what they believe politically, but by how little fear they have.
Nothing too much to be said because what is above says it all. Isaiah very wise and hits it right on the nose and hopefully people will listen and follow the best advice any of us could ever have given to us now and forever.
Got a bit of a chuckle over this truth: “If God is no more powerful than the latest conspiracy, then we are all in big trouble. Might as well put your hope in Santa Claus”
Which leads me to ask & I maybe wrong, I SURELY have been before yet wonder why CNN & MSNBC have loss millions upon millions of viewers after almost on a daily base they pushed the Hilary Clinton & MANY fellow Democrats the Russian Collusion hoax, as the reason she loss the 2016 Election, And the Robert Muller Investigation that was spent over 32 Millions dollars (and could have feed a whole lot of people) Yet people still watch those News Networks?
PS As I learned in College asking questions asking questions (and they DIDN’T) shouldn’t make anyone a Conspiracy theorists, yet asking question & DEMANDING facts not opinions IS a GREAT way to seek truth.
Well said. As to your comments on CNN & MSNBC, that’s just an example of how we all are listening to what confirms what we already believe.
Agree my comments show a bias about those News channels, yet please consider answering the question the Robert Muller Investigation that was spent over 32 Millions dollars (and could have feed a whole lot of people) Yet people still watch those News Networks?
Please believe me it didn’t take a whole lot of money (32 million) for me & a lot other’s to understand WHY she loss the election – she was a not good candidate and it DOESN’T have ANYTHING to do with her sex! If you, I or anyone else reading the Catch deleted emails during a FBI Investigation we’d be put in jail!
People either run toward truth for a safe haven, or flee from it like it is a plague. They don’t realize that truth does not enslave you, but rather provides true freedom. My mother used to say “truth hurts.” That may be so, but lies kill, and not just physically.
Smart Mom!
When I first started my landscaping business in 1986 every potential client I viewed with suspicion. This got me into a lot of trouble because people sense that you don’t trust them. To solve people’s suspicion I began each potential client’s visit with trust. After some time I noticed that people showed me some signs, which I later called red flags, that they themselves were not trustworthy. I let the potential client lead the way.to showing their hand while I remained trustworthy.
It took a while to get good at discerning peoples motives. If it wasn’t clear but my intuition (which is God given to all) sensed something unsavory I found face saving way to not give a quote.
To this day, in every day relationships because I am now retired, I still use this method effectively. I remain trustworthy even if others don’t. Do I get burned. Of course, but the red flags help avoid that once you get good at it. So exude trust and let the other person show their true colors.