Many of our national leaders sound the alarm that our society is sick. This is evident with all the violence, war, injustice, and immorality. Is there any hope for things to get better? Can we hope to solve these pressing problems on our own? Over one hundred years ago the answer would have been an emphatic “Yes.” We had just fought World War I—“the war to end all wars.” The future looked rosy and there was a general agreement on the inevitability of human progress and the inherent goodness of humanity. We had come of age and utopia was around the corner. But the world was soon plunged into a series of wars that shattered their hopes and dreams. Today despair has replaced the optimism of past generations. Many are seriously asking, “Is there any hope for our world?”
Neither history nor the Bible gives one ounce of hope that we can ever solve the basic problems of human nature on our own. The Bible says that if an age of peace, righteousness, and justice is ever to come, it must be by direct intervention of God. He must come to remove evil and heal our sickness. More than 2,000 years ago the prophet Malachi foresaw the time when Jesus Christ would return to destroy wickedness and heal our broken, bruised, and sick world (Malachi 4:1-2).
This is the hope of our world today. We must work for peace, justice, and righteousness with all our might. At the same time we must be realistic. These things will never be fully realized until Jesus Christ comes again. We can best hasten that day by making him Lord and Master of our lives.