Issue Date: September/October 2011

I had just walked into a restaurant, and couldn`t help but notice the lyrics of the song playing over the speaker system.  The singer was clearly a young person, and the message of the song really made me think.

We will be placing the future of the world into the hands of a new generation whose feelings are summed up in those lyrics.  They cry out for stability, peace, and to love and be loved.  But they see the world spiraling out of control, throwing those desires out of reach.

It seems as if there is no hope.  Everything is going to blow up. Perplexed and without hope, they are just turning off. They come from dysfunctional families, they have committed their lives to their music and now it is turning against them telling them that there is no hope. This world is just one disaster after another. One of them expressed it succinctly: "Life is absurd, then you die." We must find a way to reach this generation with the hope that we have as believers in Christ.  There really is hope, but they just don`t see it. We need to pray until we feel Jesus` heart as He sat on the hill overlooking Jerusalem and wept: "...how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" That compassion drove Him to speak the truth, no matter what, and then die to redeem those who would repent.

What are your feelings when you see someone on the street or in a restaurant (or in your own home) who, by hair style, clothing, piercings and jewelry, scream that they are committed to some evil influence, usually the perverse philosophy of a music or movie idol? Are they happy, relaxed, cheerful and outgoing? No! These are the qualities of the joy of the Lord. Does your heart hurt as you watch them parade their lostness?

Yet, not all who are deceived by the many modern satanic deceptions display it in such bizarre fashion. Many appear almost normal, except for that look of bewildered fear often masked by braggadocio or playing the comic. They bury their worry in sports, adult toys, obsessed by physical fitness or compulsive sexual thrill seeking.

Jesus put us here to WIN the lost, not be repulsed by their sin. God is their judge, not us. They must sense our compassion, not our disdain. Modern technology has provided marvelous ways of communicating the gospel. When we only have 5 seconds, we can at least give them a no-nonsense gospel tract that the Holy Spirit can use to break a ray of hope into their lives. I`ve never had a young person say anything but "thank you" when giving them a Chick tract.  They like the cartoons, and need the message of hope.  In that brief moment, the despair in that song has given me a new commitment to making sure that I give a no-nonsense gospel tract to the young people I see everywhere... restaurants, stores...they`re everywhere!

The song writer is right: disasters will follow disasters. The Bible predicts that. But we are not left without hope. When it only takes five seconds to share that hope with a young person who is convinced that there is no hope, can we ignore our Master`s commandment?