Billy Graham - Whos In Charge of a World That Suffers?: Trusting God in Difficult Circumstances

Whos In Charge of a World That Suffers?

2021 The Billy Graham Literary Trust

Original edition: Till Armageddon Copyright 1981 by Billy Graham

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Who is in charge of a world that suffers? Social media scrambles to answer the question but falls short. News anchors throw their hands up without response. Chaos prevails, conspiracy theories rage, turmoil spins like a killing twister, deception wreaks havoc, and many people believe there is no one who has a remedy.

People who once scoffed at the notion that the world was heading toward a cataclysmic event perhaps now listen more intently to the prediction that life as we know it will one day come to an end.

From the beginning of time, society has searched for happiness and hope for a better tomorrow only to have fear and anxiety bring the human race to its knees.

Nervousness, stress, and overwhelming reality prevent sleep, slow productivity, threaten livelihoods, and crush the human spirit.

History is replete with personal sorrows, dashed hopes, sickness, death, despair, addiction, failed relationships, abusive behavior, terrorism, persecution, wrongful accusations, political turmoil, and loss of freedom. To further complicate human suffering, a worldwide pandemic prowls the world, closing national borders, halting travel, separating loved ones, canceling funerals and graduations, closing churches, and utterly confusing right and wrong. There is no question that COVID-19 has infiltrated our way of life, turning human emotions into sheer panic with the chilling thought that the new normal will be a lasting nightmare. Others escape into daydreams hoping that when they snap back to reality, they will discover with joy that it was a fleeting horror.

How do you view the present days in which we live? What words come to mind when you hear the buzzwords of our day?

Crisis Oppression Violence Infections Disease

My father wrote a book forty years ago that addresses these issues, originally titled Till Armageddon: A Perspective on Suffering, raising the question: Who is in charge of a world that suffers? The answer comes from Gods Word.

Christ OvercomesVictory Is Done

You see, suffering is no surprise to the Lord. Jesus warned that we would face uncertainty, persecution, and trouble of every kind. He Himself suffered for us, and we will also face trials and sorrow as Scripture tells us. But the Lord never gives warning without a promise.

These things I have spoken to you... In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

(JOHN 16:33 NKJV)

The apostle John wrote: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the worldour faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:45 NKJV).

Are you an overcomer? Are you born of God? You are if you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. He has sent His Holy Spirit to empower you as you journey through life with all of its pitfalls, with all of its strife, and with all of its fears and sorrowsand, yes, with persecutions to come.

In this book my father helps the reader traverse this journey called life by pointing to the One who guides us by His mighty Spirit, helping us walk with Him in certain victory. He describes the biblical account of a cataclysmic time to come known as the Battle of Armageddon where good and evil collide. My father sheds light on all that leads up to the truth that God has already won the battle and victory is ours. He does not sugarcoat the suffering that men and women enduretroubles that he refers to as personal armageddons. They are just a drop in the bucket compared to the magnitude of terror the world will face as Armageddon explodes onto the scene, causing travail and terror.

Armageddon means a catastrophic event. Those of us who trust in the God of the BibleCreator of all thingsneed not fear Armageddon, nor should we fear personal armageddons. Sovereign God has a purpose in all things, and He does bring good out of trouble and light out of darkness.

The Bible says, Light shall shine out of darkness... to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 4:6 NASB).

God used Samaritans Purse to bring light in a time of great darkness. Our organization responded to COVID-19 in March 2020 by setting up a state-of-the-art, sixty-eight-bed field hospital in Central Park at the request of officials in New York City to administer critical care for patients stricken with coronavirus. Working in conjunction with Mount Sinai Hospital, we were welcomed warmly by New York citizens, many who came bearing food, hot coffee, smiles, and willing hearts to lend helping hands in the midst of the catastrophic pandemic that shut down the world. We turned no one away, and the Lord opened up opportunities for our doctors, nurses, technicians, staff, and chaplains (from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) to bring comfort to the fevered brows and the lonely hearts of those suffering because of the silent virusan unseen enemythat gripped bodies and imaginations. This was done in the name of Jesus Christ, and we were thankful to be used to bring glory to His great name.