It is almost 75 years since a brilliant but cynical British author penned his “Brave New World.” Whether viewed as satire or cynicism, prophecy or parody, it is a sobering reminder that science and technology cannot give us a world free of problems.
Mankind is constantly searching for the answer to “fix” our “broken” world. War, broken homes and hearts, dashed hopes and disappearing dreams all remind us that things are not as they should be, or as most would want them. While those who do not know God long for a “better” world, that desire usually means a world in which they can live as they please and not have God intervene. But the believer as well finds that this is a broken world. A symphony of sighs rises from the hearts of the redeemed and upon reaching heaven translated as “Even so, come Lord Jesus,” testify to a world which is not as God intended.
Injustice in the world, problems in homes, young mothers left as widows and young fathers as widowers, the surgeon’s blade and the sexton’s spade, all remind us that this world is not what we were made for. We also groan (Romans 8:23) within ourselves, waiting for ultimate redemption.
The touching article on “Olivet” by our brother Jim Flanigan reminds however, of a heart which knows and feels the sorrows of each of His own. Another has penned,
“The heart to feel, the hand to bless;
The tear, the touch, the tenderness.”
It is important that we teach our young believers that being in the will of God, following “The Plan” as John Dennison has outlined in his insightful article, will not guarantee the absence of trial and sorrow. In fact, as each mature saint knows, it is in that pathway that some of the most difficult and precious trials are met.
The article by our brother Gordon Williams reminds us of One Who passed through this broken world and not only recognized and felt for our sorrows, but was the Man of Sorrows, Himself. With a far more sensitive spirit, and an infinitely more perceptive eye, He saw, knew, and felt every grief which grieved the heart of His Father (Isaiah 53:3-4; Psalm 69:9).
Does a world filled with sorrow and sobbing, a world reeling in its madness to self-destruction, in some way impugn the wisdom, power, and love of God? The skeptic looks around and assails God by questioning if this is the best possible world God could make. But the Scriptures would teach that this is the best possible world on the way to the best world that is possible. A day is dawning that will be heralded by a “morning without clouds” (2 Samuel 23:4). Never will a cloud dim the horizons of eternity. The inauguration speech to the eternal kingdom will be succinct but sweet, “Behold, I make all things NEW” (Revelation 21:5).
Not only will all be “fixed,” but all will be “new!”
