January 28, 2026 Devo

There was an interesting story in the news a few years back. A guy by the name of Joseph Badame believed a monumental disaster was coming. A complete economic breakdown, a new civil war, or perhaps even a nuclear disaster. So he decided to take action. He and his wife bought a 3-acre piece of land near Medford, N.J., and being an architect, he designed a doomsday shelter that they and 120 friends could live in. He built an 8400 square foot home that was partially underground and surrounded by enough storage buildings filled with food and supplies to last a year. It included 4200 rolls of toilet paper. He stockpiled tons of coal, along with kerosene, diesel fuel, and heating oil. He then surrounded his land with an electric fence. It cost him over a million dollars to complete.
But things didn’t go quite as he planned. His wife had a stroke, and he ended up quitting his job to take care of her. When she died in 2013, he was deep in debt. In 2017, his property was foreclosed on. Looters stole most of the wiring, equipment, and things that could be sold. The property was eventually auctioned off for $200,000. Joseph moved into a 300-square-foot mobile home on a friend’s property. What’s interesting about Joseph’s fear and catastrophic thinking was that he considered himself a person of faith. But the real question is, what was his faith in?
I thought of this story when I read our passage today. Doomsday thinking and conspiracy fears have been around since the dawn of time. It’s certainly alive and well today. But I love the word the Lord gave to Isaiah that I think is good for us to hear. We are “not to think like everyone else does…and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life…He will keep you safe.”
Please hear my heart. The Lord doesn’t tell us that bad things aren’t going to happen. They are. But even in the midst of the most devastating of times, we are not to think and act like the rest of the world. We are to share, not hoard. We are to seek to help, not hide. We are not to run to a cave or a shelter and live in fear. We are to trust the Lord and live as people of hope. People often ask me if I think the end of the world is near. I respond by telling them that in my work for God, I am in sales, not management. I’m not privy to God’s final plans. But I stand on the promise that when the end comes, I shall be ready. Not hiding in a shelter, but proclaiming his salvation to all who will listen. Because what the world calls “Doomsday,” we call “Homecoming.” What will it be for YOU? That’s God’s Word for you today.