I’m not sure if it’s me getting older or if I’m noticing things more. But this world has problems. Throughout history, we have had wars and criminals and natural disasters. Since the original sin in the Garden of Eden, the world hasn’t been the same place God created as “good.”
Recently, I’ve been thinking about what is wrong in the world and it boils down to one thing: sin. We live in a broken world and that means more than sickness and strife. It means relationships are broken, the physical world is broken, nothing is the way it was created.
At times, this feels strange to me. Since we only know the world in this way, it’s hard to look at a sunset and think, “That’s broken.” Even fallen nature is breathtaking and points to our Creator. But as impossible as it seems, this is not the same “very good” world that God created.
The world seems the most broken in relationships. Over the last few years, I have been hurt, disappointed, and saddened because of people. Some of these relationships are personal; I know the people involved and I see how they’ve changed. I have also seen how people treat others online and often, these commenters don’t know each other. It is one human trashing a stranger because of a comment. Why do people treat others so terribly? Because this world is broken.
As people flee from God and what the Bible calls good, they fall farther into the world’s brokenness. We also have to realize that the world will never be fixed until Jesus returns and eternity begins without sin.
So how do we live with the consequences of this broken place? I believe we need to remember God is omnipotent and still uses us for his purposes. Even in the midst of pain and evil, God gives strength and ability to stand firm. God hasn’t left us in our brokenness. Therefore, we should look to him in our fear and disappointments.
We also should remember that the evil around us will be punished. It might not happen in the way we would plan or execute, maybe not on our timeline, but God sees and takes account. The Bible promises that the wicked will be punished and this world will be made new; good as it was in the beginning.
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash