Who Is in Charge of a World That Suffers?

By Franklin Graham

Who is in charge of a world that suffers?

The answer comes from God’s Word.

You see, suffering is no surprise to the Lord. Jesus warned that we would face uncertainty, persecution, and trouble of every kind. He, himself, suffered for us and we will also face trials and sorrow as Scripture tells us. But the Lord never gives warning without a promise.
“These things I have spoken to you . . . In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The apostle John wrote: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4–5).

Are you an Overcomer? Are you born of God? You are if you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. He has sent his Holy Spirit to empower us as we journey through life with all of its pitfalls, with all of its strife, and with all of its fears and sorrows—and yes with persecutions to come.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Billy Graham: 1918 — 2018]

In [Billy Graham’s] book Who’s In Charge of a World That Suffers?: Trusting God in Difficult Circumstances (Thomas Nelson, 2021), he helps the reader traverse this journey called life by pointing to the One who guides us by his mighty Spirit, helping us walk with him in certain victory. He describes the biblical account of a cataclysmic time coming known as the Battle of Armageddon where good and evil collide. [The book] sheds light on all that leads up to the truth that God has already won the battle and victory is ours. He does not sugar-coat the suffering that men and women endure—troubles that he refers to as “personal armageddons.” They are just a drop in the bucket compared to the magnitude of terror the world will face as Armageddon explodes onto the scene, causing travail and terror.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, What Would Billy Graham Say if He Were Alive Today?]

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Armageddon means a catastrophic event. Those of us who trust in the God of the Bible—Creator of all things—need not fear Armageddon, nor should we fear “personal armageddons.” Sovereign God has a purpose in all things and he does bring good out of trouble and light out of darkness.

The Bible says, “Light shall shine out of darkness . . . to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, How Billy Graham Overcame His Doubts about the Bible]

The apostle Paul writes: “Do not be overcome by evil; but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). This is what God enabled us to do, and each person can overcome evil with the good that comes from a gracious and loving God.

Whether we face “personal armageddons” or battles that jolt society, we do not have to succumb to fear; we don’t have to drown in sorrow. And we don’t have to fall victim to the evil that surrounds us.

The Bible says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, A Billy Graham Crusade Snapshot]

So, who is in charge of a world that is suffering? It is none other than Jesus Christ who has overcome with his promise that as the end of time approaches, he will not forsake his people, but will strengthen us in the hour of need.

We do not have to wait for victory. We can claim it now because his power is available every moment and every day.

“So we do not lose heart . . . for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comprehension, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16–18).

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, How to Live The Bible — “The Bible Says…” – Billy Graham]

For those who have not committed their lives to Jesus Christ as Savior, today is the day of salvation. You can have the same assurance as those who have put their hope and trust in God’s Son, the Savior of the world. There is no need to worry, there is no need to wrestle, and there is no need to wonder who is in charge of a world that is suffering. Look to Jesus Christ and live.

Taken from Who’s In Charge of a World That Suffers? © 2021 The Billy Graham Literary Trust. Original edition: Till Armageddon Copyright © 1981 by Billy Graham. Used with permission from Thomas Nelson www.thomasnelson.com.

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Who’s In Charge of a World That Suffers? is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.

Who’s In Charge of a World That Suffers?: Trusting God in Difficult Circumstances (Thomas Nelson, 2021)

Bio: Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham), president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, is also president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The fourth of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham’s five children, Franklin is the author of several books, including the bestselling autobiography Rebel with a Cause and the 2013 release of Operation Christmas Child: A Story of Simple Gifts. He and his wife, Jane Austin, live in Boone, North Carolina, and have four children and 12 grandchildren.

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