Are You Listening?

The world has turned dramatically darker in the past few weeks. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has set in motion a series of gut-wrenching history-altering events. No one (except God) knows how it will end. Just as the aftermath of the COVID pandemic seemed to be waning, our tragedy-weary world has been rocked with another tsunami of bad news.

All of this brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors (CS Lewis). “God whispers to us in our pleasures…but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

God does not cause wickedness, evil or pain. But he can always use them. God uses pain as a megaphone calling people to repent and reach out to him. God uses wickedness and evil to remind us how powerless we are, and how desperately we need him. The world is writhing in pain right now. I wonder if people are listening to God’s call. I wonder if you are listening.

One of the core doctrines of Christianity is that humankind is broken. We are fallen people. We are sinners. All of us. You, me and Vladimir Putin. My brokenness leads me to behave selfishly toward my family and friends. Your brokenness also leads you into pride and selfishness. (If you deny it, that in itself is a testimony to your pride.)  And Putin’s brokenness is on display for the whole world to see in the nightly news.

Jesus entered into the muddy mess of humanity because, apart from the intervention of God’s grace, we are helpless to change. Human beings are not fundamentally good. That is the core lie promulgated by modern-day secularism. We are NOT fundamentally good. We are broken.

As a result, none of us can be rehabilitated with education, social programs, or money. Certainly, we are not all as bad as we could be. But none of us are as good as we should be. The Bible, and decades of personal experience, have convinced me that apart from Jesus, you, me and Vladimir Putin are the same in our core. We are all broken.

Jesus offers the only solution that can irrevocably change the human heart. He offers forgiveness. He offers relentless love, new values, new purpose, new meaning and, as an added bonus, he also offers the assurance of eternal life.

For most of my growing up I wanted to become an attorney. Toward the end of college, this passion grew and I began to realize that becoming an attorney would potentially help me to make the world a better place. I desperately wanted to make a difference. The world was a mess in 1975…and it still is!

However, when I was 21-years old, as a senior in college, I came to the conclusion that the only way to fundamentally change the world is by helping people, one-at-a-time, to see their need for Jesus, and then helping them to become his fully devoted followers. Heart change, life change, real change can only take place when the brokenness inside us is healed and forgiven. I’ve spent my entire adult life dedicated to this mission.

No doubt, my heart breaks for the ruthless violence in Ukraine. But it would be difficult for me to find even a brief moment during my entire lifetime when there wasn’t some sort of madness going on in the world.

Jesus said the world would grow increasingly violent before he physically returns to earth to establish his kingdom in its fullness. We may be living in the “last days.” I don’t know. But what I do know is this: God uses pain as a megaphone to “rouse a deaf world.”

And I am listening.

Thus, as gas prices sky-rocket and world events continue to unravel at breakneck speed, I am choosing to press closer to Jesus more than ever. I am praying more, listening to him more, trusting him more and leaning into him more than ever. Being glued to a 24-7 newsfeed and cursing Putin or complaining about the ineptitude of other world leaders is woefully unhelpful.

God is trying to rouse the world to see its need for his grace. I hope you are listening.