Who looks forward to turning on the news these days? All we seem to hear about are problems. People are losing jobs and savings. A person can get depressed listening to it all, and many people are fearful.
If you are facing hardship during these tough times, my heart goes out to you.
Life isn’t always fair or easy. You may feel you do not know where to turn. But one of the Bible’s greatest truths is this: God never abandons us when life becomes difficult. He is always with us and wants to help us, even when things seem to be going wrong.
He does not guarantee to reverse every misfortune, but if Christ lives in our hearts, we have His promise that nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39, NIV).
What a guarantee! Instead of being fearful about the future, this Easter we can trust and believe that God is working a purpose in our lives. We can have hope!
I remember being accompanied on a preaching tour of the Soviet Union by a Russian Orthodox Christian leader. On the way to the airport I said, “You have listened to many of my sermons. Do you have any suggestions?” He replied, “Yes. Emphasize the Resurrection more. You preach the Cross, and that is central to the Gospel. But without the Resurrection, the Cross would not have full meaning.”
I knew that, of course, and believed it and preached it. But God took me all the way to Russia to be reminded in a fresh way that without the Resurrection—the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the firm hope of our own resurrection—we have no Gospel.
Jesus alone can say, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25).
Easter is a season of great gladness for those who know Christ. But for those who are without “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:6), there is nothing to rejoice over. As Christians, our great task is to obey the command to tell the whole world about Christ crucified, buried, yet risen again. At BGEA, we continue to do just that.
Throughout 70 years of world evangelism, God has wonderfully supplied BGEA’s financial needs, and He has done it through people like you. Today, millions still need the Gospel, and if evangelistic ministries pull back during economic downturns, millions may die without hearing about Jesus. We cannot do this work on our own, because we have no independent resources. Our resources are what God leads you to give.
If God enables you to share with us financially, your gift this month would be a direct investment in changing lives for eternity, and we pledge—as always—to use your donations prayerfully and wisely for the advancement of the Gospel.
My prayer for you during this season of the year, when we meditate on our Savior’s great sacrifice for us on the cross, is that you will also be filled with great peace and hope, because “HE IS RISEN!” That is the Good News.
May God bless you,
Billy Graham
