From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

There is a longing in people’s hearts for happiness. The human spirit also groans for something new. In Bible times people were always searching for “some new thing” (Acts 17:21). We are no different today. We run after hope as though it has magical power. We trick ourselves into believing that if everything lines up just right, we’ll gain hope and success. But true hope is a sure thing, and it is only found with certainty in the Man, Jesus Christ.

The history of mankind has been a continuous series of half successes and total failures. Prosperity exists for a time, only to be followed by war and depression. Civilizations have come and gone. Success is worshiped, and God is disdained. Pleasure takes precedence over purity, and gain has priority over God. Mankind still battles with the same problems over and over again. One day, the fluctuations of time, the swinging of the pendulum from war to peace, from starvation to plenty, from chaos to order, will end forever because the Bible says, “And of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33).

Determination is only part of realizing hope. True hope is not dependent upon us but rather where our hope is anchored. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all (you) that hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24, KJV). Now is the time to seize a new life. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We can walk in the “newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Place your trust in the God of hope.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Fill the void in your heart. Turn to Christ.