He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Colossians 1:17
Take in just five minutes of the news and you’ll hear about wars, earthquakes, famines, diseases, and persecution. It’s easy to wonder, “Where is God?”
Global chaos doesn’t need to bring us to a crisis of faith. Even when it feels like madness is multiplying, God isn’t scrambling for a plan. The Bible says that “[Jesus] existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17).
Nothing we see in our world today was unforeseen by Jesus. He’s never caught by surprise. In fact, He described what we can expect between now and the time He returns to earth and restores all things, saying, “ … you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world” (Matthew 24:6-7).
Jesus also explained the intense persecution His followers would face. He said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you” (John 15:18-19).
When we’re careening toward despair, afraid that God has deserted us, here’s His promise to hang onto: He says: “I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you” (John 14:18). He gives His followers His Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen, and empower us (John 14:16,26). Through God’s Spirit, we can lead lives of tenacious faith—even in this broken world that’s awaiting the restoration that Jesus promised.
He is near and you can look forward in hope!
