“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7)
As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, we are reminded that the Lord Jesus has promised to come back and establish his Kingdom on earth forever. We need to know this and share it as well for we dwell in a world filled with violence, cruelty, and suffering. We are most distressed when we are suffering or when we have to watch loved ones and friends in the midst of serious pain and critical illness. Such trials test the very foundation of our faith in Jesus. “Lord do you really know what you are doing? What purpose does such suffering serve? Why have you allowed this to happen?” I am sure that even the most faithful of us have asked these questions at one time or another.
The world needs the help of Jesus to take these evils away. We need Jesus. If all the world had faith in Him there would be peace, no wars, no murder, no fighting. One day this will happen. Jesus will return and we will be with Him for eternity. Then we will no pain, sickness, or sorrow. But for now we must live as His disciples in this wicked world. We have been commissioned to establish His kingdom on earth. It is not given to us to know the specific answers, the specific reasons as to why life is the way it is. It is enough to know that we are in the Father’s hands in all situations. Therefore, we place our trust in Him who loved us enough to send His Son to die and rise for us.