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Where In the World Is Our World Going?

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JERRY WAUGH The Pastor Speaks

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 8, 2008

At the time this article is being written, several devastating catastrophes have happened in just a matter of days. First of all, Myanmar was hit by a violent cyclone where more than 130,000 people died. Next, China experienced a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake - one of the worst earthquakes in modern history. More than 40,000 people have been found dead so far. Additionally, a number of record setting tornadoes have hammered the midwestern United States.

Throw in the record setting gas prices that are affecting every other part of our economy and you have the question people are asking either out loud or to their self, "Where in the world is our world going?" It's the "what's next" question.

Ever since Sept. 11 our world has changed. Fear has seemed to have given hope a black eye. There are words I watch for on the news-ticker that didn't mean much to me before. Words like "Al Qaeda," "Homeland Security," "Federal Reserve," and "crude oil." I find myself reading the newspaper or watching the evening news and just shaking my head - how about you?

Tensions continue to be, well, tense in the Middle East. The newsmaker nations have seemed to only go from bad to worse: Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and of course, Iraq. Whatever peace plan was on the table - seems to be off the table again. And, by the way, there are extremists want to declare a Holy War and take over the world unless you convert to their belief (as a Baptist, I would be a goner!).

If things weren't confusing, scary, and fragile enough in our world, there is another big decision that remains unknown. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, who will be the next leader of the United States of America? If the United States of America is the most powerful nation on the planet, this next president will not only lead our nation but will also be a world leader. Can that person make our world a better place?

Everything from rising temperatures to rising gas prices to rising tempers causes us to ask "Where in the world is our world going?" Can things ever get better or are things only going to get worse?

In order to answer the question of where our world is going, we have to answer one other important question: Who's in charge? Who's in charge of our world? Is the United Nations in charge of the world? Are the leaders of the G8 summit in charge of the world? Is a single nation, like Saudi Arabia, Japan, or even the United States, in charge of the world? The Bible is very clear in declaring that God is in charge. There are two books in the Bible that answer two of our biggest questions. The first book in the Bible, called Genesis, tells us how our world began (God is the Intelligent Designer). The last book in the Bible, called Revelation, tells us how our world will end.

Someone might ask, "Okay, let's say that God is in control. If God is in control, why does the world seem out of control? What is God doing?" That is a good question. We especially want to know the answer to that question when bad things happen in our world.

Even though God is ultimately in charge, a long time ago, humanity said to God, "We can do a better job running this world than You." The reason we have wars, poverty, world hunger, suffering, and evil actions is not because God is uncaring, but because humanity is trying to run the world apart from God. When humanity is in charge - apart from God - this is the mess we make. That being said, God does not have a hands-off policy concerning the events of our world. God is very much still here and God still cares. He even touches the compassion part of the heart to send help and aid to places like Myanmar and China. God was with our fellow Americans on Sept. 11 in the stairwells of the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon building in Washington D.C., and on United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

He continues to be with our U.S. soldiers walking the sandy sidewalks of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as with the family that grieves by a graveside draped with the U.S. flag.

The most important thing the Bible tells us is not how our world went wrong, but how God will one day re-enter human history to fix our broken world. Knowing this gives me two things I need most in an unstable world - comfort and confidence. I get comfort from knowing this world isn't heading toward an aimless future where we could all be destroyed at any moment by a straying asteroid from outer space or a nuclear warhead from some ticked off terrorist. I get confidence from knowing that even though the world is sometimes a scary place, God is still only a prayer away to help us.

God says in Isaiah 46:10: "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand." God says two important things in this verse: One, "I know the end from the beginning." However, the fact that God knows where our world is going only helps us have hope if we know God has something to do with the world's future. That's why the second statement God makes is such good news, "My purpose will stand."

There can be no movie-of-the-week asteroid destroying earth; no The Day After Tomorrow climate change that will result in the end of humanity; no The Day After nuclear strike that sets off world-wide nuclear warfare; and not even any War of the Worlds aliens that take over our planet. Why, not? Because nothing can take God by surprise and He has already designed what will happen to our world, as well as what will not happen to our world.

In times of difficulty and uncertainty - like now! I need to be reminded that it is not one person, one nation, or one ideology that determines where our world is going - it is God. Therefore, I may not know everything that the future holds, but one thing is for sure - I know Who holds the future and I can place my trust in Him.

Jerry Waugh, senior pastor of Northcliffe Baptist Church in Spring Hill, can be contacted at 352-683-5882 or by e-mail at pastorjerry@nbchurch.org.

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