A World Turned Upside Down

by Hannele Ottschofski  |  1 August 2024  |  

I am afraid.

I’ve been looking over to the other side of the ocean, and I am frightened about what is happening in America. Many Americans are frightened, too. There appears to be such instability in the “land of the free”—so many things that could threaten freedom and safety. 

The political world scares a lot of people. But a world populated by people cannot be apolitical, so why should we try to live as if we are not concerned? Some burrow under their pillows and say, “I don’t want to know anything.” Others discuss and argue. Some live in a world of fake news and conspiracies. How will all this chaos end? 

Lurking in our minds are the Bible prophecies about the end of time that have been applied in so many different ways ever since the demise of the Ottoman Empire. I wonder: what will happen should democracy die and another world war flare up.

So many people are warning of the dangers of the current situation. Propaganda is constantly being spewed out, and people in many countries appear to be brainwashed. We see it in Russia and many other places, including America. 

Nor are we in Europe immune. I want to believe that, probably more than some countries, we in Germany learned from our mistakes. We often say, “Never again.” But have we learned our lesson? Countries geographically near to us are falling under authoritarian rule. What damage can be done by misguided people influenced by what they believe to be the truth, in a time when truth seems to have no meaning any more? 

This summer we are also constantly reminded of the damage that we have done to our beautiful planet. Extreme heat leading to diluvial downpours has caused havoc with flash floods and landslides in the mountains. Other regions are destroyed by storms, or are burning, and we wonder: where will all this end? At my advanced age I will probably never find out. But what kind of a world will we leave to our grandchildren?

I worry about how little interest there is in saving the climate. Waiting for new heavens and a new earth does not relieve us of the responsibility God gave us at creation to have dominion over what He created in a positive way as opposed to the exploitation we have exercised. 

War on our doorstep

I know, of course, that I have been fortunate to have been born and lived in a period of peace. But even during my lifetime there have been, and still are, armed struggles and wars in regions far away. 

The peaceful European world was turned upside down in a single night in February two years ago. How can anyone be crazy enough to attack a neighboring country that is no threat? Ever since, the world has been wondering what is going on in the mind of such a leader. The world is a mess, influenced by the forces of the evil one. 

I recently heard from our Ukrainian refugee friends about their friends in Kyiv. On the morning of July 8, about 40 rockets were fired at the city of Kyiv, causing lots of damage and many casualties. The Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital was hit, and our news media have covered the terrible results. Pastor Eduard’s family had a referral to the Okhmatdyt Hospital for their eldest son. They were supposed to be at the hospital that was hit by the rocket in the morning. However, in the night the younger child fell ill with a high temperature. An ambulance was called. The mother and her younger son were taken to another hospital during the night, and the father did not go to the hospital with his older son. Another Adventist family with a child was on their way to the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital. They were 10 minutes late—still in the subway at the time of the shelling, and remained unhurt.

A church member planned to go to his parents’ village with his wife and daughter in the afternoon. Since the day was very hot, they left early in the morning. Already on their way to the village, they heard strong explosions. They received a message that their apartment had been hit and was destroyed. Everything was burned. Again, God saved their lives. Thank God for His protection. 

These we hear about only because they were saved—otherwise they wouldn’t have been alive to tell the story. But the lives of so many others, just as deserving, weren’t spared. All because of one cruel and ambitious man!

Where is God?

If what I am writing sounds like irrational stream-of-consciousness worry, it might be. What is happening in the world these days doesn’t make sense, and I struggle to get clarity. What is it all about? There is so much corruption, injustice, hate, and aggression in a world that I used to consider a peaceful home. 

Has God abandoned us? Should we be afraid of what will come? I can’t believe that. The Bible is full of promises that should give us hope. Yes, it is difficult to hang on to the hope that we love to proclaim. We might not be able to make sense of what is currently happening.

But when we sing, “We have this hope that burns within our hearts,” we acknowledge that God is still with us, like a lifeline. God is still here. All we can do is trust that God is still in control. He has already won the struggle against the forces of evil. When all is over, we will understand.

Hannele Ottschofski writes from Hechingen, Germany. She is the author of Tired of Waiting: Women in Church and Society. 

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