News of the Year 2009

How should we view the year that was? | Marvin Olasky

How should we view the year that was—a year that brought more debt domestically, more retreat internationally, and more terror for children in the womb?

Chapter 8 of Jeremiah tells us of two wrong ways to react. One is to say, "'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace." False optimism keeps us from seeking the healing we need. The other wrong way is to say, "The Lord our God has doomed us to perish." Fatalism keeps us from asking for mercy and changing our course.

The pretty good news is throughout the Old Testament: When people turn away from either false hope or fatalism and turn to God, He delivers them. Psalms repeatedly offer a joyful refrain: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."