Are We Better Off Than We Were Before? (By Gary Patterson)

 

The Christian Journeyman eZine 

Pastor Gary Patterson 

ARE WE BETTER OFF THAN WE WERE BEFORE? 

By Gary Patterson 5/15/2024 

 "You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again."

(Psalm 71:20) 

Just recently, I read on Facebook (R) a post that had three illustrative drawings of a train derailment, an airplane that had doors flying off in flight, and of a boat hitting a bridge. Of course these are illustrations of events that were recently in the news. And the question the post-article asked was: "Are we better off than we were before?" 

We realize that every year we have challenges in our nation, that are hard to deal with. When we look at the negative side of things. Our economy is crippling, with the high prices at the grocery store, the gas pump, and the housing market. We have an ongoing crisis at our southern border; and the violence and death on our city streets is so sobering. 

Looking at the positive; and these are just two!  "Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) made headlines this winter for its role in the tripledemic that, together with COVID-19 and flu, slammed many U.S. hospitals. But now there’s some good news related to RSV: On May 3, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its first-ever approval to a vaccine that protects against the dangerous condition." (AAMC.org) 

"Across the United States, election workforce issues are emerging as a challenge amidst increasing responsibilities and politically driven attacks. However, states and professional associations are navigating these turbulent times for election officials with new strategies to ensure preparedness."(NCSL National Conference Of State Legistlatures) 

 We have a lot of challenges in this country. But we are trying to work to remedy a lot of the issues that we face. The Psalmist in our text, brings out that the God who we worship and serve, has revealed to us "many troubles and calamities." But He is also the same God who will "revive us, and bring us up again." He can, and will restore us, and help us to be a nation that will bring glory to our mighty, wonderful, awesome God! 

God wants to help America! With His direction (that we must heed) we can without a doubt, be better off than we were before! GP 

 Photo: jwinrott - Free for use under the Pixabay Content License - www.pixabay.com