In the beginning, it was very good.
But now it seems very broken.
Wars and rumors of wars, school shootings, riots, cyber warfare, suffering, and difficulty fill our daily news.
And we know deep in our hearts that things are not as they should be. We recognize that many things are broken, and our hearts cry out for peace and deliverance from the chaos that consumes us.
Hope is not found in the wisdom of the world. But we must not live with cynicism or despair. Rather, we live fully in the present, with our hope in the future.
The more we allow the truth of God’s Word to live in our hearts, the more heaven comes to earth, and our future hope gives us a present hope.
Our purpose is found in sharing the peace and presence of God, to restore hope to this chaotic world.
Our hope is not that we can overcome our present difficulties and struggles by our own power, but that God will change our hearts and minds. That we would see the world differently, and that we would be light in this dark work, as we hold out the Word of Life.
Our present hope is not just in a future event, but it is also a hope in the healing power of God, and His grace that we can receive now.
Freedom from guilt, shame, and sin.
Our hope is for God to be alive and present in our hearts, that we will not despair, though all the world crumble around us.
Tragedy and heartache surround us – addiction, disability, poverty, accidents, sickness, death, war, greed, selfishness, insecurities, and anxieties. If you think you are immune, you deceive yourself. Or if you think you are the only one to carry the weight of suffering, you deceive yourself doubly. Not only do we suffer from outward pain, but we also inflict pain upon ourselves through our faulty thinking.
Things are not as they should be.
Our awareness of this reality is evidence that we were created for something better than this world. Does any other creature on earth have an awareness of a preferred reality? Or are we uniquely wired to desire something beyond our present experience?
C.S. Lewis says “If I find in my self a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Take a moment to be still and silent, and separate yourself from the chaos of the world for a few moments. Seek the Lord today, and surrender yourself to Him. Embrace His grace, and receive forgiveness and deliverance from your sin and struggle. Entrust yourself fully to Him, and learn to let His Spirit guide your thoughts, words, and actions. Do not let your heart be burdened by your past mistakes, or by your present difficulties, or by your fears of the future. But be at peace in this moment, in the presence of God. And experience a glimpse of how things should be. And how they will be forevermore.