BILLY GRAHAM

DEAR DR. GRAHAM: Do you think 2018 is going to be any better for the world than 2017 was? I remember all the rosy predictions that people made at the start of 2017, and almost none of them came true. Will the world ever get any better?

— K.M. DEAR K.M.: Only God knows the future, of course. We can only guess at it — and a year from now I’m sure many of the predictions people made at the beginning of 2018 will turn out to be false. (This, incidentally, includes the so-called “prophecies” made by alleged fortunetellers and psychics who claim to know the future — but don’t.)

Will the world ever get any better? In some ways, it certainly may. I’m grateful, for example, for advances that continue to be made in medical and scientific research. We should be grateful also for every measure of peace, and we should be praying for our world’s leaders. We live in dangerous times, and they need our prayers and encouragement.

But the Bible tells us two important truths about the world in which we live. First, it tells us that we’ll never solve all our problems completely; in fact, they may only get worse. The reason is because our real problem is within us — within our own hearts and minds. The Bible warns that in the latter days “evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).

However, the Bible also gives us hope — hope for the present, and hope for the future. When we humble ourselves before Christ and seek His forgiveness and help, He comes to live within us and begins to change us. We also know that someday Christ will intervene, and all evil and corruption will be eliminated. Is your faith and hope in Him?

Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28201; call 877-2-GRAHAM, or visit the website for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www. billygraham.org.