It sometimes seems that every day brings another story of man’s inhumanity towards man.  There is the noise of violence in every corner of our country.  Dissatisfied and enraged voices scream for change.  People are divided in their opinions, their beliefs and their politics.  There are rumors of wars which could wipe out the human race from nations equipped to do so.  Headlines proclaim stories of murders in the streets, in the safety of our homes and within our churches. The fierce winds of destructive hurricanes and floods have destroyed people’s property and lives.  It seems this must be the beginning of the end as promised in God’s Word.

When you’re expecting a child, you know the twinges and pangs that overtake your body on a daily basis.  You balloon to twice your size. Your feet swell.  You experience cravings, hot and cold flashes and difficulty getting in and out of a chair. You may experience morning sickness. When labor finally begins, the pains start slowly.  Soon the contractions become unbearable.  You writhe in pain.  You wonder why you ever put yourself in this situation.  When the baby arrives, all those pains disappear and bring forth a new life.  It’s all part of God’s plan to keep things moving forward.

When it comes to the state of affairs in the world, this isn’t something new.  The world has always experienced violence, hatred, division, intolerance, unnecessary and necessary wars.  Today we have access to information regarding all this in an instant.  God tells us not to be surprised by these events.  It’s like the birthing process.  Once we have endured these pangs, new life begins.  It may not be on this planet, but we have been promised eternity in heaven when we turn our lives over to the Lord.

Do not be alarmed.  Do not let your heart be troubled.  All of this must happen before the end result occurs.  We have no idea when that will occur, but we know, by God’s communication with us, that the end is coming.  With the end of birth pains, comes new life.  Let’s turn it over to Him and know that He’s got this!