My heart goes out to several students and their families which have suffered in the last two weeks. One is a student who was shot to death in his car, most likely related to his drug dealing. Although he put himself in danger with his choices, it’s still tragic. Another student is suffering trauma from the murder of a close relative. Lastly, two of my students abruptly decided to leave their families and run away together to another state. I teach at risk high school students, and sadly over the years I have seen some of them experience terrible events.
Today is Halloween, a fun cultural tradition which seems to be turning darker. Although for many people Halloween is mostly about dressing up, carving pumpkins, and getting candy, unfortunately there is also a dark, evil, woeful tone associated with Halloween which is promoted by various special interest groups, individuals, businesses, and the media. The darkness stems from roots of ancient pagan celebrations and intentional opposition to All Saint’s Day on November 1. Each year Halloween seems to become overtly darker.
Yesterday I read that according to the Center for Disease Control suicide rates among teens and young adults have increased over the last 20 years in every state in the US. In some states, especially among college students, the increase is as high as 30 percent.
What’s going on? As I grieve over all the hopelessness, hatred, violence, wickedness, folly, and death of the last two weeks and regularly in the news, I wonder is our world falling apart? Two weeks ago even our pet rabbit was killed by ravaging raccoons. Will anything improve?
Yes! With God it will. How do I know? Because God already has a solution for every horrible and wretched thing that humankind has ever thought or done. Incredibly Jesus, God the Son, has taken everyone’s sin upon himself and innocently died the death we all deserve (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:19-23)! He then rose to life conquering death and the evil that feeds it (Colossians 2:13-15). Anyone who trusts and obeys Jesus inherits his life and power to no longer live as a slave chained by sin and Satan, the opposer to God (Romans 6:1-18). When Jesus returns to earth he will reward believers, judge unbelievers, and banish evil forever (Revelation 20:7-15, 21:1-8). That’s wonderful news.
But why isn’t the world wonderful? If God has solved the problem of evil, why does it still prowl like a lion seeking to devour. Why are innocent people afflicted? Why do my students suffer or die? The short answer is God has allowed evil to exist temporarily so more people might turn to him and be saved (2 Peter 3:8-13). Although its available right now, you don’t experience God’s salvation and the wonderful life he promises unless you put your faith in him. Faith involves hope, loyalty, trust, and obedience. Only through faith does his victory over sin and death become real to you. Without faith in God there is no hope for this world.
This world is not getting better. No person can solve the world’s problems, because fundamentally we are the problem. Going all the way back to Adam and Eve’s original disobedience, we are why the world is the way it is (Genesis 1-3). Continual, prideful rebellion against God thrashes his design for the world and each one of us. There is nothing you can do to fix it except turn to God and receive his solution in Jesus. When you do, you move from dying in your toxic self-centeredness to really living with God. When you make that choice, God changes you from the inside and works through you to bring hope. You remain in this world for now with all its brokenness, suffering, and unrighteousness. But it doesn’t have a deadly effect on you. You are able to rest in God’s hands, secure in the hope that he sustains you and will eventually restore you and all believers in his amazing way and perfect time.
Don’t be oppressed by worldly perils, whether they are the result of your actions, the actions of others, or torment from Satan. Conversely don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by privilege or your own merit. In times of trouble, as well as, blessing, put your hope in God. Speaking to his followers before he ascended to heaven, Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am…Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:1-3, 19). “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Because God loves them, believers have no need to worry or fear (Psalm 34:17-19; 1 John 4:18).
Will you dwell discouraged and estranged in the dark or will you accept God’s call to come into the light as part of his family? Surrender your way in favor of his. Bring what concerns you and give it over to God to redeem and transform? Those who hope in him are changed by his love, joy, peace, kindness, power, and wisdom. They become his voice, his light, and his hands and feet to bring hope to a desperate world one person at a time.
I’ll conclude with an encouraging note God inspired the apostle Paul to write to believers:
“It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:13-18).