Right now, perhaps more than any time in recent memory, we live in a world of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. Alongside the clearest worries about physical health and the wellbeing of those we love, many are currently being impacted by the fear and uncertainty associated with economic crisis, financial instability, and social isolation. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, everyone is searching for hope. And while this hope purports to be found in many places—in developmental treatments, stimulus packages, tax breaks, experimental vaccines, and so on—an honest assessment of these hopes leads us to admit that they are ultimately uncertain. None are guaranteed, and all are the product of human beings who can only promise to do their best.
In a time such as this, only one has the wisdom, knowledge, and power to offer true hope. Only one can make promises which go beyond best intentions, and only one can guarantee our future without question—the Lord who has revealed Himself to us in Scripture.
We can find no better description of the hope which awaits us than at the very end of the Bible. If all of history were a book, we are currently living somewhere in the middle. However, in the book of Revelation, we are given the remarkable privilege of turning to the last page to see how the story ends. We may not know what the next page has in store, but we know the ending with certainty. In chapter 21, the apostle John hears a voice crying out, “‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’” (Revelation 21:3-5).
We currently find ourselves surrounded by disease and death, but God has promised a new creation—one without pain, mourning, or tears. He has promised a world in which all things have been made new, free from corruption and disease. We currently live in a world of social isolation, quarantine, and loneliness, but God has promised that His dwelling place will be with us for all eternity; on that day, we will never again be isolated or alone. We have been promised a world free from anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, and these promises have been given to us us by the God who alone has the power to guarantee them all. In the midst of chaos and confusion, we can look toward the future with confidence and place our hope in these promises, knowing that each and every one of them will certainly come to pass. Our hope is found in Him, and in Him our future is unquestionably secure.
All the best,
Luke
