In
1968, Dr. Paul Erlich, professor of entomology at Stanford University,
frightened humanity with an apocalyptic vision of the end of the 20th
Century. Dr. Erlich published the best-selling book, The Population Bomb,
in which he predicted massive famine and starvation. With irrefutable
evidence to back his claims, Dr. Erlich demonstrated that the world's
population growth was outpacing its capacity to produce food. As a result
billions would perish from hunger. His argument was foolproof. The vast
majority of humanity, billions of people, would perish from hunger, then
disease, then wars.
But it never happened! The billions didn't die. A lowly research scientist
from Minnesota, Norman Borlaug, laboring for two decades in obscurity in
Third World Countries like Mexico, Pakistan, and India, developed a number
of high-yield strains of wheat and barley that resisted drought, molds and
disease. These grains reversed the agricultural economies of many nations
whose populations would have otherwise starved. His work benefited so many
nations that this humble scientist is credited with saving the lives of more
than a billion people.
What happened? Dr. Paul Erlich was so convincing. He had so many people
despairing that humanity would ever survive. Tens of thousands of couples
chose not to have babies because "they didn't want to bring a child into a
doomed world." But God had other plans for our planet. Just like he did in
Joseph's time - and many times since - God raises people up to preserve
humanity. God is involved in this world and in our lives and no matter how
many people predict doom for us and this planet, God has his own predictions
and plans for us.
Don't forget. God is active every day in caring for His creation. At the
top of His list of priorities are people. Look at what our Lord says in the
Scripture:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important
than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of
the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of
you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry
about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or
spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed
like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which
is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more
clothe you, O you of little faith?... But seek first his Kingdom and his
righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:25-30)
