"No one can defeat the world without having faith

in Jesus as the Son of God." (1 John 5:5, CEV)

A quick scan of newspapers across the globe tells us that we are plagued on every side by mudslides, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, terrorism, homicides, and genocides. These are natural disasters and acts of inhumanity. Like the prophet Habakkuk, we ask God: Our LORD, how long must I beg for your help before you listen? How long before you save us from all this violence? (Habakkuk 1:2, CEV)

The silence seems deafening as the world seemingly spins out of control. We feel helpless before the wrath of nature's elements and humankind's wanton disregard for the sanctity of human life. Where are we headed and how can we fix it?

We become faint-hearted because we live in a generation of instant fixes--we feel hindered and hampered when solutions are not within our immediate grasp. Yet, the Scriptures remind us that despite what it looks like on the outside, God is still working his purpose out. His response to our desperate pleas will come. God says, "At the time I have decided, my words will come true. You can trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting-it will happen!" (Habakkuk 2:3, CEV).

What then should our attitude be as we wait on God? The Psalmist encourages us to trust God and live right; to do what God wants; to dispense of our anger and to "be patient and trust the LORD" (Psalm 37:7a, CEV). Because waiting patiently does not come easily to many of us, we need to remind ourselves that we have already overcome the world by the Spirit that God gives us. Although it appears that evil is triumphing over good, we should not be discouraged because "God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control" (2Timothy 1:7, CEV).

This power that God gives us is wrapped in our faith; a faith, that if anchored on Christ, produces unbelievable results. It is our faith in God that will keep us on even keel when all around us seems to go awry. The apostle Paul tells us that we ought to let the faith and love of Christ Jesus guide our every action (2 Timothy 1:13).

So, be encouraged, rejoice and sing like the hymn writer Ira D. Sankey, "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world!"