We’ve been on a long journey, alongside the prophets God sent to help our predecessors in the faith through disaster. We’ve confessed our grief and taken time to lament. We’ve heard about coping strategies, hope and promises of restoration. We’ve been urged to wait patiently during times of trial. We’ve been challenged to not lie down and give in to the destruction, but to stand up and begin building anew. We can’t make the world into a place that’s free from hate, strife, suffering, evil, or disaster. But our God can. We need to believe that, in Jesus Christ, new life is possible, and in him, God really can make all things new!