Our Upside-Down World

There’s a song on Christian radio right now entitled, “Sunday’s Comin’” by Zach Williams.  The phrase that likely led to the title is,

“It might feel like Friday, but your Sunday’s comin’.”

In this context, it’s referencing the heartache of Good Friday when Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  The songwriter loosely uses that as a similar response to all the heaviness of this world that can drag us down endlessly.  Obviously, our bad days pale in comparison to what Jesus endured on that cross.  But the power of this statement lies in the contrast rather than the depth of the battle.

Of course the “Sunday’s comin’” phrase points us to the resurrection of Jesus on that third day that brought incredible hope from the despair of this world. 

So the point of the song is to remind us that, regardless of what hardships we’re enduring right now, as believers, our hope for relief from all that encumbers us in this world, is tied to our salvation purchased when Jesus rose from the dead.  And it’s a certainty we can take to the spiritual bank.

That’s the background I want to use for our comparison today.

As I listened to this song over the past few weeks, it brought me back to my high school and college years, and to my two-plus decades in the corporate rat race.

Back then, I couldn’t wait for Fridays.  TGIF!!  Whether it was the Monday morning college class, or a return to the work grind, I was anything but excited about what lie ahead.  And guess where that dread (to one degree or another) was most evident.  Yep, on Sunday.

You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?  Most of us long for those moments (weekends) of rest, and feel our anxiety levels rising  on Sunday evening when we think about what we will awaken to the next morning.

While recognizing what the songwriter was portraying, I found myself struck by how completely opposite I often felt about those two days.

I’d be tempted to rewrite that phrase describing my own life as, “It might feel like Sunday, but your Friday’s comin’.”  And yes, that’s when I realized my world, and possibly yours, was upside down.

Not surprisingly, the Bible predicted, and warned against, this inevitability centuries ago as we read in Isaiah 5:20:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Is there a better description of “upside down” than that?

I know we live in an age where clear definitions of right and wrong are becoming more and more scarce.  Much is relative, and “you do you” becomes the mantra of our times.  I’m finding my own beliefs criticized more and more frequently, as I fall out of favor with the voice of the masses.

While I’m a strong advocate for kindness and compassion in this hurting world, I also know what must shape my belief system and worldview.  It’s the same source that predicted this upside-down world – the Bible.

So my belief in the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage is based entirely on what God’s Word teaches us about those issues, and any other topic challenging our world today.

As believers, it’s becoming increasingly essential that we read and study the Bible, so that we can align our views with God’s.  That allows us to stand upright when so much of the world around us feels wrong side up.

When you face criticism or even persecution, don’t forget to respond from a heart of love!

Rather, speaking the truth in love,

we are to grow up in every way into him

who is the head, into Christ,

Ephesians 4:15