Our world is in chaos—COVID continues to ravage the land; unemployment is on the rise; and the political infighting seems to never end. But in 1951, Billy Graham shared the solution to all our problems. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world today, take a few minutes to read this timeless message of hope rooted in God’s Word:
We are living in a topsy-turvy world where all is utter confusion. The average person on the street is more bewildered today than at any time in American history. If ever there was anyone definite, concrete example of the utter, complete depravity of the human heart, the events of the past few years would certainly be a shining example. The props have been knocked out from under idealists who said that all men are brothers and the world is getting better and better. You don’t hear that kind of talk very much these days.
The only reasonable explanation for the awful conditions which face us today is the answer given in the ancient book we call the Bible. In it you will find the answer to the multitudes of problems you face every day. This world is sick. It is filled with anger, anguish, brutality, cursing, crime and doubt. Despair and death stalk every country. Sorrow, suffering and sin abound. War and wickedness have made our generation wild. Tragedy and sorrow is on every hand.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible teaches that this world is coming to a crisis, and just beyond that crisis is judgment. But thanks be unto God, our God has never faced a crisis. Nothing has ever overtaken God by surprise. God has never come to a time of panic. He has always followed a perfect program. Our God is Sovereign, and in Him is all sufficiency.
Our troubles are not new. They are only magnified and more abundant. They may come upon us in a new way, but basically and fundamentally we are facing the same temptations, the same troubles, the same trials, the same testings, that have always confronted mankind. Since the Garden of Eden, man has been plagued with three problems. These problems deal with the past, the present and the future of every individual. The Third Chapter of Genesis gives us the cause of these problems. The First Chapter of Romans shows us the awful condition produced by these unsolved problems. The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the cure. The unsolved problems of the human race are: first, depravity; secondly, disease; and thirdly, death. Because of man’s depraved sinful nature, he is filled with hate, greed and jealousy. The curse of sin is upon his body, and he is forever haunted by the fear of death in the future. It seems that man with all his inventive genius has been able to change everything but himself.
These three problems make up human history. Our past is filled with sin; our present is overrun with sorrow; and the certainty of death faces us in the future.
However, let me put a rainbow of hope in your heart. It has been proved millions of times over that Jesus Christ can meet and solve these three basic problems of your life.
Christ can forgive your past sin, lift your present burdens and give you hope for the future. He will take your sins and bury them in the depth of the sea. You can cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you, and He promises that one of these days we will hear Him “descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, NKJV)
Ladies and Gentlemen, I beg you to commit your past, your present and your future to Christ. What you have done in the past can be erased by the Lord Jesus Christ. As Savior, He can settle your sin problem. As Shepherd, He can meet your every need, lift every burden, solve every problem. As coming Sovereign King, He can give you hope. Let Him deliver you from the penalty of past sin. Let Him deliver you from the perils of the present trouble. Let Him deliver you from the fear of the future. ©1951 BGEA
The Scripture quotation is taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version.
Above: Billy Graham stands before a crowd in 1955 at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.
Photo: BGEA Archives