Life is a little crazy these days. Hatred and division are everywhere you look. It’s easy to lose a little hope, and perspective is hard to keep. Trusted voices have turned out to be frauds and storied industries and franchises are falling by the wayside. The church is seeing the results of too many years of allowing the foxes to roam the henhouse. How can we stop the madness and get things back to some state of normalcy?
In times like these, we must remember God is still in control. That’s not some cliché statement left over from an old Sunday School lesson. Psalm 24:1-2 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” He has the whole world in His hands.
The bad news is the Democrats will not solve this mess. Neither will the Republicans. The same goes for Independents, Libertarians, Communists, or any other political party. No number of laws or breadth of policy can cure the ills of this world. No man knows what tomorrow will bring (James 4:14), so why trust in anything they say? Only Jesus knows the future, so it makes sense to put our trust in Him alone. The wickedness of the world does not surprise the Lord. He has seen the ebb and flow of evil since the fall of Adam and Eve. As Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). God has seen it all and remains firmly in control despite it all.
Psalm 95:4 reminds us, “The depths of the earth are in His hand, and the mountain peaks are His.” The whole world is in God’s hands and no one else’s. No matter how hopeless things might seem, Jesus is still the answer. He has always been and forever will be. Putting your faith in anything other than Christ will only lead to more despair. Only Jesus can save (John 14:6). Only He holds the keys to eternal life (Revelation 1:17-18).
Most of us remember when times were better. Every generation has its memories of “the good old days”. But the good old days weren’t as great as we remember. It’s what we allowed to creep into our churches and personal beliefs during those good old days that have enabled the world we see today. We are not above reproach. Each of us will be called to account for what we did and did not do for the glory of God and His Kingdom (Matthew 25:31-46).
We bear some responsibility for much of what is going on around us today. We are not innocent victims but have unwittingly but willingly helped usher in a world of hatred, division, heresy, and sacrilege. It’s true at least as far as our churches go. We let the world in. We refused to call sin evil and hold fast to sound doctrine. Take heart; all is not lost. The God of creation still sits on the throne. His sovereign will cannot and will not be thwarted. He alone can redeem the horrendous mess in which we find ourselves. The Lord is not dismayed. He still has the whole world in His hands and He’s coming back for those who believe in His name and bow before Him as Lord (1 John 5:13; Romans 10:9-12; John 14:15). We don’t need to be discouraged. We have the answer. All our hope is in Jesus, and He will never let the righteous fall (Psalm 55:22).