Our world is in dire straits, from a year of governments shutting down our lives, to civil unrest, to questionable election activity, to now a quickly escalating military crisis on the Eastern European front that some speculate could set the stage to WW3.

In the U.S. there has become more division and animosity amongst the citizens that some feel another civil war could be lurking around the corner, and if American history truly is mirroring the history of the Roman Empire, then those speculations might just be correct.

With everything going on, it is easy to become discouraged, to feel overwhelmed and hopeless, but we do not need to feel this way. Our hope is not in this world, but is in and of a better, eternal paradise in which the chaos and turmoil of this age will no longer be.

Beyond even that however, we have another hope, a hope that the chaos and evil that has become so rampant on our world, the wickedness that has dug its claws in so deep that we ponder if the wounds will ever be able to heal, and even if they should how could the scars ever give way to something beautiful again, will surely lose.

We know that evil will not, does not and cannot win nor endure forever. Right now when the chaos and darkness seem to be thriving that we wonder, in the words of Tolkien…

“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien.

There is a hope of a brighter day, but it won’t come on it’s own. Our enemy is tireless, sleepless and spends every second of every day fighting to tear down this good and beautiful world, but we cannot allow that. We must cling to hope, and be willing to stand up when the call comes. We must be ready, even when fear, anxiety and despair want to drown us, ready to cry out in hope to our God, knowing His plans of redemption and victory and peace cannot be undone nor overcome, no matter how dark the night is, but the night is always darkest before the dawn.

Stand strong brother and sisters, and do not lose hope.