Hope in depressing times

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Romans 8:28-30).

The news has certainly been depressing lately. Terrorist attacks and the Israeli/Lebanon war. Drought in the Midwest and flooding in the South. We live in a time of uncertainty and fear. What can we do? What will the future bring?

The world is filled with trouble. Famine, disease and storms. Crime and war and poverty. Many ask, "Where is God? Why does He let this go on? How did things come to be this bad?"

The Bible tells us why things are so bad. The answer has been there since the beginning of history, but most people don’t want hear that answer—the truth is too unpleasant. We are to blame. The earth is in the mess it’s in because of us and our ancestors. It all started with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were created perfect by God, and they lived on a perfect earth. But when they listened to Satan’s lies and disobeyed God, Adam and Eve became sinful and they passed the inheritance of that sin to every human child ever since. Since people are sinful, we act selfishly and irresponsibly. We fight over land, over money, over relationships. People murder, steal, commit adultery, lie and cheat. People wage war and they selfishly hoard their riches, resulting in wealth for a few and poverty for most.

But it does not end there. God was justly angered at Adam and Eve. He could have punished them for their rebellion, but if He had, they would have died right then and there and we would never have been born. So instead God said, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:17-19). Because of mankind’s sin, the entire earth was cursed—cursed with death and the things that lead to death—stubborn fields, extreme weather, pests and vermin, disease and decay.

Why is the earth the way it is today? It’s not God’s fault—it’s our fault.

But our God is merciful. By rights, Adam and Eve should have been struck dead and sent to hell; by rights, each of us has earned eternity in hell many times over. But God did not give up on Adam and Eve, and He has not given up on us. God promised our first parents that one of their descendants would defeat the power of Satan and free mankind from the curse of sin and death. That descendant was Jesus, the Son of God born into human flesh.

Jesus defeated sin by living a perfect life—the perfect life that God had expected from every one of us. Jesus defeated Satan by willingly dying for our every sin—with our sins punished in Jesus, Satan has no claim by which he can take our souls to hell. And Jesus defeated death by rising from His grave to eternal life and eternal rule in heaven—so we know that Jesus has final authority over everything, even death itself.

Jesus did all this out of love for us. Our sins are forgiven; Jesus promises His love here in life and hereafter in eternity to everyone who puts their trust in Him. And the benefit of this love is stated by Paul in Romans: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

How is this possible? We look around us at the world, and we see Christians suffering from the same problems as non-Christians. Where is the hand of God? Well, to begin with, we must remember that Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:44-45). Jesus Himself tells us that God cares for all mankind; He wants everyone to live, so that they might come to saving faith. Romans 5:8 says, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Every mercy of God shown to us is a blessing, and every mercy shown to a lost sinner is an invitation to seek the God who has been so generous with His gifts.

But what about the hard times? We can understand that God allows some trouble to enter the life of the unbeliever, because hard times can make a person receptive to the invitation of the Gospel. When a lost sinner undergoes hardship and then hears Jesus say, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," that person is ready to ask, "What must I do to be saved?" He is ready to hear the simple truth, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." (Matthew 11:28, Acts 16:30-31)

But what about us? Why do Christians suffer alongside non-Christians? Paul reassures us that we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Going through tough times can mold us into better Christians: earlier in Romans Paul writes, "we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (chapter 5). It is a sad truth that when things go well for us, we often begin to take God for granted. The Old Testament history of Israel shows us a continuing cycle of good times undermining commitment to God, God applying His chastening hand to His wayward people, their repentance, and a renewed commitment to putting God first. We are no different. When God allows tough times to come upon us, it is as He said through the prophet Zechariah: "I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, `They are my people,' and they will say, `The LORD is our God' " (chapter 13 verse 9).

Scripture gives us many examples of how God works good for those who love Him, even in the midst of great trouble. In Genesis we read of young Joseph, favored son of Jacob, whose brothers became so jealous of him that they sold him into slavery and reported him dead to their father. Joseph was taken to Egypt, where he was falsely accused of sexual assault and imprisoned for many years. Yet because God had given Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, Joseph came to the attention of Pharaoh and eventually became second in command over all of Egypt. When famine drove his brothers to Egypt looking for food, Joseph was positioned to care for the needs of his family. He told them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children" (Genesis 50:19-21).

Another example comes to us from the Book of Acts. After Jesus had ascended into heaven, His followers stayed in the vicinity of Jerusalem as they did their preaching and teaching. But after the stoning of Stephen, we are told "a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" (chapter 8). Even though the persecution caused much suffering, even death, because of it the preaching of the Gospel began to spread all over the Roman Empire, and eventually the entire world.

Of course, the best example is the death of Jesus Himself. When the Sanhedrin met to discuss what to do about Jesus’ growing popularity among the people, John tells us: Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one (John 11:49-52). The Jewish leaders intended nothing but evil for Jesus when they sought His death, yet God turned their murderous act into the greatest miracle of life and healing in the history of the world.

There is no trouble or hardship that cannot be turned by our loving God into a long-term benefit for us. Of course, we must sometimes take the long view. Sometimes "the good of those who love him" can be seen now, but other times the benefit may only be seen years in the future. In fact, the ultimate good for those who love Him is not seen here in life at all, because the purpose for every gracious act of God is to bring us safely into heaven to live with our Savior forever.

The bleakest time our world has ever seen was Good Friday afternoon, when darkness shrouded the earth. During this terrible time, the Lord of Life slowly and painfully died to remove your every sin, that you might have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). Since God could bring the light of life eternal out of those darkest of hours, He can certain bring good out of any time of trouble that you are currently enduring. No matter what life brings you, remember that God is in charge, and that you have this promise: "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall" (Psalm 55:22).