Finding Hope in a Disintegrating World
Finding Hope in a Disintegrating World
Micah 7:1-7
“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation My God will hear me.”
Micah saw the world around him collapsing. No longer were people pursuing righteousness. No longer were they seeking to obey God. As Micah looks about him, he feels like a fruit picker who enters the harvest fields and finds the harvest barren (vs. 1). He laments that the godly have perished from the land. There is no longer any upright person (vs. 2). Instead of pursuing righteousness, they have embraced evil (vs. 3). Even the family was collapsing as children rejected the instruction of their parents (vs. 6).
As we look about us, the condition of Micah’s day parallels our own. No longer are people pursuing the truth. Biblical morality, which has served as the bedrock of our society for generations, is now rejected as old-fashioned as we embrace immorality. In Romans 1:32, Paul describes the final stage of unbelief and its consequences. The final stage of moral collapse is when people “know the ordinance of God, that those who practice sin are worthy of death, not only do they do these things but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” We see this in our own culture. We see the celebration and acceptance of sexual immorality, abortion, drugs, violence, and rebellion against authority in the name of freedom and self-expression. Tragically the rejection of a biblical worldview is not only prevalent in our culture; it is infiltrating the church. In a recent study by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, less than 37% of Christian pastors affirm a Biblical worldview. For churches over 250, the number drops to 15%.
How do we have hope in a self-indulgent world? How do we respond as we see our culture's moral and spiritual fabric crumble? Micah gives us the answer. Rather than capitulate to the whims of his culture or give in to despair, he reaffirms his faith and trust in God (vs. 7). He watches expectantly for the Lord and His salvation. Even as Micah’s culture descends into spiritual darkness, the Lord remains his light (vs. 8). Instead of looking in despair at the culture about him, he trusts in the sovereign plan of God, who continues to work out his redemptive plan in history. He turns his eyes from the present spiritual catastrophe and sees the hope of God’s redemptive future that God will come and act, and he will bring salvation to those who trust in him.
When we see the rejection of God in our culture, we are not to give in to the spiritual depression that undermines our faith and silences our message. Instead, we must trust in God and place our confidence in him. Our trust is not in a political party or the wisdom (or folly) of men; our faith is in the sovereign God of the universe who executes his plan without hindrance or interference. When people reject God and say they will throw off his moral restraint, “he who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:1-4). Instead of cowering in silence, we need to boldly proclaim Christ’s salvation, for He is the answer that people long to find, and only through Him will people discover genuine joy and peace. Instead of fearing the future, we can have confidence because we know who is in sovereign control of the present and the future, and he will dictate the outcome.
Micah 7:1-7
“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation My God will hear me.”
Micah saw the world around him collapsing. No longer were people pursuing righteousness. No longer were they seeking to obey God. As Micah looks about him, he feels like a fruit picker who enters the harvest fields and finds the harvest barren (vs. 1). He laments that the godly have perished from the land. There is no longer any upright person (vs. 2). Instead of pursuing righteousness, they have embraced evil (vs. 3). Even the family was collapsing as children rejected the instruction of their parents (vs. 6).
As we look about us, the condition of Micah’s day parallels our own. No longer are people pursuing the truth. Biblical morality, which has served as the bedrock of our society for generations, is now rejected as old-fashioned as we embrace immorality. In Romans 1:32, Paul describes the final stage of unbelief and its consequences. The final stage of moral collapse is when people “know the ordinance of God, that those who practice sin are worthy of death, not only do they do these things but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” We see this in our own culture. We see the celebration and acceptance of sexual immorality, abortion, drugs, violence, and rebellion against authority in the name of freedom and self-expression. Tragically the rejection of a biblical worldview is not only prevalent in our culture; it is infiltrating the church. In a recent study by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, less than 37% of Christian pastors affirm a Biblical worldview. For churches over 250, the number drops to 15%.
How do we have hope in a self-indulgent world? How do we respond as we see our culture's moral and spiritual fabric crumble? Micah gives us the answer. Rather than capitulate to the whims of his culture or give in to despair, he reaffirms his faith and trust in God (vs. 7). He watches expectantly for the Lord and His salvation. Even as Micah’s culture descends into spiritual darkness, the Lord remains his light (vs. 8). Instead of looking in despair at the culture about him, he trusts in the sovereign plan of God, who continues to work out his redemptive plan in history. He turns his eyes from the present spiritual catastrophe and sees the hope of God’s redemptive future that God will come and act, and he will bring salvation to those who trust in him.
When we see the rejection of God in our culture, we are not to give in to the spiritual depression that undermines our faith and silences our message. Instead, we must trust in God and place our confidence in him. Our trust is not in a political party or the wisdom (or folly) of men; our faith is in the sovereign God of the universe who executes his plan without hindrance or interference. When people reject God and say they will throw off his moral restraint, “he who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:1-4). Instead of cowering in silence, we need to boldly proclaim Christ’s salvation, for He is the answer that people long to find, and only through Him will people discover genuine joy and peace. Instead of fearing the future, we can have confidence because we know who is in sovereign control of the present and the future, and he will dictate the outcome.
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