In my studies of the world’s history, I have often struggled with looking at the events of history in a positive light. There are many events and times in world history when things have gone remarkably well for humanity and the world as a whole. But there are just as many, and in my opinion, more times when things have not been so grand for the world. There have been times of extreme famine, war, natural disasters and everything that comes with them: poverty, injustice and so much more. There are so many things that are wrong with the world. I used to want to avoid thinking and learning about the events of the past, because I found myself very easily beginning to despair over all the suffering and pain this world has known. If one carefully examines history, one can see how sin has ravaged our world, but history doesn't have to be depressing, because humanity and all of creation has hope.
If someone wants to see what I'm talking about, all that person has to do is sit for a moment and contemplate any time period in history. Even the best of times have had traces of evil in them somewhere, whether those best of times were a result of a movement pushing back against evil or evil being hidden in the shadows. The United States, in its early days, was built on the back of slaves who suffered under years of injustice and cruelty. People all across the world are starving, and this can be seen in our own backyard, as well as in third-world countries. The French Revolution and the years leading up to it are marked by rulers abusing their power and authority.
Since the moment of humanity’s first act of sin and rebellion against God, life on Earth has not lacked suffering, pain and other effects of the Curse. God made it clear to Adam and Eve that they, and everyone to come after them, were going to experience troubles in life and have to face the consequences of their sin. The Lord said to Adam in Genesis 3, “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life…By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground” (v. 17b, 19a). The world has been a mess since then, and human history holds the evidence of that.
A course in world history is a requirement for the degree I am pursuing, and I must take it if I want to graduate, as is the case with most college students. I wondered how I was going to face all of the grief, sorrow and suffering humankind has seen all throughout the ages. The state of humanity has been slowly declining over time as the world’s morals deteriorate at large. I wondered where my sense of joy and hope was going to come from, but then God revealed something spectacular to me: Jesus is that joy and that hope I was looking for. I was already saved for several years when God showed me this, so it was a reminder of what God had done for humankind and how His mercy and grace relates to every aspect of life. God taught me that even in times past, His mercy and grace were shown, nothing is beyond His control and sovereignty and He has a plan for redeeming His creation.
Because of the hope given to us by Jesus Christ, we do not have to view the events of history with sorrow and despair. Our world faces calamities and suffering every day. The effects of sin can be seen everywhere, but God changed the course of history from where it would have been headed if He had not intervened. History can be viewed in light of what Jesus did on the Cross and His promise to come back again. Because of this event in history, we have hope for the future.
