Hope In An Evil World

COMMENTS

This world is evil.  Things happen that shouldn’t happen.  Wickedness, dysfunction, and unkindness seem to be rampant.  It weighs on my heart, a burden that is too heavy to bear.  I know—evil is always here; but sometimes, it hits in an unexpected manner or from many different directions and reminds me once again:  This world is evil.

NOTES

Then, God speaks to me—again, the Always-Faithful One—and He reminds me that He has provided for me, even in this circumstance:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”  (2 Peter 1:3-4)

This is such a rich passage—complicated yet simple.  God, in His power, glory, and goodness, provided a way for me to ESCAPE the corruption in the world. 

Escape.  The word implies captivity.  Evil desires imprison us.  Sometimes, we’re the one doing the hurting.  Sometimes, we’re the one who’s hurt—either directly or because someone we care about has been hurt.  It’s an easy thing for us to focus on the hurt we feel.  Unfortunately, it’s just as easy for us to excuse the hurt we cause.  Either way, the consequences of those evil desires play havoc with our lives and with our world.

Yet, God doesn’t leave us in that helpless and hopeless state.  Rather than dwelling on the sentiments expressed in the previous paragraph, I go back to the one before that.  GOD, IN HIS POWER, GLORY, AND GOODNESS, PROVIDED A WAY FOR ME TO ESCAPE THE CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD!  As I know Him more and more, as I respond to His call, and as I receive and witness the fulfillment of His promises, I "participate in [His} divine nature and escape the corruption in the world”.  My own evil desires are replaced with the desire to be like Him, and the pain I experience as a result of the evil desires of others is covered with His healing oil. 

I wish I could tell you that I only have to do that once, but that would be a lie.  Just as a physical injury takes time to heal, these spiritual and emotional injuries usually take time.  Just as I repeatedly bandage a physical injury until it heals, I must repeatedly apply the 2 Peter 1:3-4 bandage to these wounds. 

We can hold on to the hope of His eternal kingdom, a kingdom of love and peace.  But while we’re still on this earth, He doesn’t leave us in despair.  As Daniel in the lion’s den, we can have hope and peace, even as Satan roars around us.  All this happens as we look past the circumstances and focus on HIM.

When I do that, the burden eases; and I am at peace.