This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
San Antonio, Texas, pastor and best-selling author Max Lucado said in an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital that there’s a “heaviness” in society today. But there’s also a solution, Lucado said on the occasion of the release of his latest book.
“There is a lack of hope, especially among teenagers, and suicide rates continue to rise,” he said. (See the video at the top of this article and another video later in this article.)
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“Overall, suicide rates are the highest they’ve been since World War II. We feel trapped. We don’t have a clear understanding. And in my experience, a clear perspective about the future is what gives us courage today.”
This is why he wrote his latest book, “What Happens Next?”, revealing its profound premise and the actions that all people, including people of faith, can take, regardless of their particular stage or situation in life.
Pastor Max Lucado’s latest book is “What Happens Next?” He told Fox News Digital, “I have a lot more friends in heaven than I have on earth, so I started thinking about where we go when we die, what it might be.” (MaxLucado.com)
“All my life I’ve been fascinated by what the Bible says about the end times,” Lucado said.
But “it’s only in the last few years that I’ve become obsessed with understanding what’s going to happen, and I think there are two reasons for that.”
“To be honest, I just wonder.”
He added with a smile that for his next birthday in January, “I’ll need 70 candles on my cake, and I’m not sure if I have the fire extinguisher to blow them all out.”
But “as you get older, honestly, you start to wonder. And I have a lot more friends in heaven than I have on earth. So it makes you wonder, where do we go when we die? What is it? What is God’s plan for how this world ends?” he said.
Those questions, which are common among older adults, are “accelerated by everything that’s going on in the world right now,” he said.
He said studying the end of the world “can be intimidating and frightening to a lot of people. So many people say, ‘I don’t want to talk about the end of the world because I’m scared of it.'”
“Jesus said to his disciples, and to us too: ‘Do not be anxious, trust in God.'”
But Lucado believes such a position is “unfortunate.”
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The Pope reassured all those who feel this way: “According to the Scriptures, what comes next should be a source of great encouragement and hope. Jesus said to his disciples, and also to us: ‘Do not be afraid. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, I would not tell you. I go to prepare a place for you.'”
“If you’re feeling anxious, just pray. Pray,” Lucado said, “and be open to exploring what’s coming next.” (MaxLucado.com)
So, “with these words and many more, Jesus encourages us to look to the future without fear and with faith.”
Focusing on hope, he said, “I think it really helps us to persevere through difficult times and get through the anxiety because we know these difficult days will only last a moment. And we have a reason to pray. We just pray through it.”
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He added: “When you feel anxious, when you watch the news and it makes you want to crawl into a hole or bury your head in a pillow, just pray.” pray. And be open to exploring what’s to come.”
“We can all explore this, and through that confidence we find the courage to face the future.”
Lucado shared an anecdote from his own childhood as a real-life analogy.
“When I was little, my dad took us on long camping trips. My brother and I were so excited. He told us all about everything we were going to see, even though we’d never been to New Mexico or Colorado or Utah. He told us all about it.”
“And we were so excited because we trusted our dad.
“The same is true of God. We can trust Him and be excited about Him. [about the future]”This book is trying to unravel what is happening in paradise right now. It’s trying to unravel what heaven will be like for those who have believed in Christ, for our loved ones who have already gone to be with Jesus.”
“We look forward to the second coming of Christ. We expect it. We believe it could happen at any time. And that is a reason for hope and a reason for joy.” (Max Lucado, iStock)
He added, “I’ve tried to be honest about the tragedy that awaits those who reject Christ. But I think we can all explore this, and through that confidence we find the courage to face the future.”
Lucado noted that the Bible “mentions the second coming of Jesus more than 300 times.”
“So the idea is that Christians live life on their tiptoes. We look forward to the second coming of Christ. We expect it. We believe it could happen at any time. And that’s a reason for hope, a reason for joy.”
Lucado recalled when her three daughters were little: “When they were toddlers and in diapers, there would always be nose marks and fingerprints on the window next to the front door. When I came in through the front door, my daughters would hear, ‘Daddy’s coming home,’ and they would all run to the window and stand there.”
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“They couldn’t wait for me to come home. They were waiting for me to come home.”
“The Bible says there is a blessing for those who look forward to the second coming of Christ. We can start and end each day saying, ‘Lord, come today. Come today,'” Lucado said.
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Lucado said: “God’s ultimate answer to the suffering and pain of this life is not found in this life but in the life to come.”
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clock “What Happens Next: Doomsday Town Hall with Max Lucado“Available now on Fox Nation.”
