At the time of this writing we have been saddened by the devastating fires in Australia, mourning the loss of 176 people killed in the plane crash over Tehran including 57 Canadians, threatened by the Corona virus affecting the lives of people around the world.
Winter storms, floods, volcanoes earthquakes and hurricanes continue to play havoc on our planet.
Listen to the news and the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Terrorism, nuclear weapons, social unrest, unethical leaders, unemployment, hopelessness, opioid epidemic, poverty. Hardly anyone thinks the world is getting better.
According to Max Roser, an economist at the University of Oxford and founder of our World in Data, there have been some significant advances in poverty, literacy, health, freedom, and education. He states that the world is an extraordinarily better place than in was a couple centuries ago. He continues to say: “In 1950 75 % of the world were still living in extreme poverty. Today it is less than 10%. Eight out of ten people can read and write. Infancy mortality rate is down by 40% since the 1800’s. While freedom is hard to measure, more than half of the global population lives in a democracy. Despite these statistics eight out of ten people see the world as worse off.”
The struggle from a Christian perspective as to how we view the world can be influenced as well by the media and the scriptures.
The following current statistics as stated by Open Doors reports that 1 in 12 churches suffer persecution for following Jesus. Every month an average of 66 churches in the world are either destroyed or burned. Every day 6 women are raped. Every month 2400 people leave home because of their faith.
Like Job in the Bible we wonder where it is all going to end. Thirty eight of the forty two chapters record the dialogue between Job, his friends and God. Here Job questions God and his friends have the audacity to lecture Job as to who God is.
In Chapter thirty eight God finally breaks His silence and out of the eye of the violent storm he tells Job to pull himself together.
Have you ever traveled to where snow is made and seen the vault where hail is stockpiled? Did you command the eagle’s flight, and teach her to build her nest in the heights?” In chapter forty-one God lets Job know ,“ I’m in charge of all this, I run the universe!”
I will put together my church, Jesus said, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. (Matt 16:18 Msg)
He will settle things fair between nations and turn their swords into shovels, their spears into hoes. Nations will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4 Msg)
He shall have dominion from sea to sea. (Ps 72:8 NKJ)
The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14 NKJ)
Look God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women. They’re his people he’s their God…tears gone, crying gone, pain gone…look I am making everything new. Yes, I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon! I’m bringing my payroll with me. I’ll pay all people in full for their life’s work. I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion. (Rev: 21:3-5,22:12-13 Msg)
What is my level of influence as to how one sees the world? How Bad is it?