“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God . . .” ~ 2 Peter 3 : 11 – 12a NASB

Another disaster! Tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and hurricanes follow one after another in rapid succession, like birth pangs.

As a believer, this doesn’t surprise you. Jesus predicted these signs would increase in frequency and intensity as He draws near. (Mark 13 : 7 – 9 NASB)

Actually, every day brings news of illness, famine, death, rebel uprisings, and war. People commit unthinkable atrocities on others. Rape, slavery, torture, bombings, shootings, and more.

Your heart is broken and the needs are overwhelming. How can you help? When will it end?

You’ve prayed. You’ve given money and material possessions. Some of you have even been able to go to the people in need.

All of us can witness to the clerk in the store, the toll collector, the librarian, the neighbor. You can share your faith “so Jesus comes sooner” (2 Peter 3:12) and the suffering will end.

The context of 2 Peter 3 is about the Last Days and the return of Christ. We are reminded in 2 Peter 3 : 9 that God wishes that none should perish. While He patiently delays His return so that all may come to repentance, we can labor in the Harvest as we look for and hasten His coming.

I want to be ready and available at all times for what God wants to do through me. My puny plans pale in comparison to the end of the ages and the return of Jesus Christ. Every day, I need to be willing to abandon my agenda for His. Jesus will bring an end to all the suffering.

Putting an End to the Tragedies by Sus Schmitt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.