The Gospel According to R.E.M.: “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”

Welcome back to the Gospel According to, where I take songs and books and movie quotes and all things bright and beautiful that we love on a human level and connect them to the deeper truth and beauty that can only be found in the Word of God. If you’re a believer, I welcome you, and if you’re not a believer, I’m so glad you’re here! Please consider this an invitation to consider a song you may already know and love from a new angle 😊

This year… has been rough

Enough posts have surely been written about this by now, and we’ve all experienced it besides. This year for which I had such high hopes turned out completely different than expected. I wanted to work at my favorite place in the world, spend a semester away from the U.S., and so many other things, but instead I have been here at home all year. I’ve barely even left my city, much less the country!

But that’s not what I want to focus on here. What I do want to focus on is the feeling we all got when the world started to change, like we were standing on a cliff as it slowly crumbled. Around the middle of March this song started to play on repeat in my head:

“It’s the end of the world as we know it… It’s the end of the world as we know it… It’s the end of the world as we know it… It’s the end of the world as we know it…” you get the idea. The rest of the lyrics to this song pretty well sum up the chaos of this year, even though it was written in 1987.

God is solid rock

Where can we turn when the world is literally coming to an end? Who do we know will remain solid, even when the earth is crumbling under our feet?

Why, it’s God, of course!

“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10

God knew this year was going to happen long before we did. He saw all our 2020 “perfect vision” memes and the shock we all felt when things happened that no one could have predicted. And He has compassion on us. He is still in control. He is still working things out for our good.

For example, if I had been away all summer, I wouldn’t have gotten to spend time with my very precious animal friend (see the header of this website) before he passed away in July. If I had gone away to Mexico in the fall, I wouldn’t have started this blog. And so many other things… I’m sure you can relate. In every possible way, although this year has been truly terrible, change has happened and goodness has come through. And that, my friends, was all God. He will never stop offering us steadfast love and peace. Never! 💖

We can relax, even when the world is ending

And this is how we get to the end of R.E.M.’s famous refrain: It’s the end of the world as we know it… And I feel fine.” When we are focused on God, giving Him thanks and praise even in the midst of all this craziness, He gives us peace and assurance that He is in control. No matter what come’s next, even if the world actually literally comes to an end, God’s still got this.

“GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives 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.” Psalm 46:1-3

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If it spoke to you, or if you enjoy “The End of The World As We Know It” by R.E.M., please do me a solid and share with all your peeps using the graphic below. And let me know in the comments: how has God shown up for you when it felt like 2020 was the literal end of the world?

Happy fangirling!!

P. S. check out this post from The Chickadee Nest for more thoughts about having peace during the chaos of 2020 🙂