When we began work on the current issue of The Good News, the cover story wasn't immediately settled. It was either going to be the horror of abortion, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that sanctioned the murder of unborn children, or it was going to be the broader subject of the great value of human life, considering the supreme purpose for which human beings exist. We went with the latter, being the more encompassing and uplifting story, but the abortion issue would remain an important theme in the issue.

Having written on the reason for man's existence in the past, including work on a major revision of our Bible study aid booklet What Is Your Destiny? some years ago, I was asked to revisit the subject again—and was certainly happy to do so, as important and inspiring as it is.

I thought again about the wonder and obvious design of the creation all around us. And I was brought to ask anew: Is there not clearly a point to it all beyond just something to behold? Some have come to the bleak conclusion that life is ultimately meaningless—or, slightly less hopeless, that we create our own meaning. Yet the intricate interrelationships between created things throughout the world and the broader universe demonstrate that God has designed with purpose. Moreover, as we reflect on human history and life stories of individuals, including our own experiences, we can see great lessons taught and learned—with all too many spurned or forgotten. Still the story continues, and it is surely leading somewhere.

As Winston Churchill, Britain's prime minister during World War II, eloquently stated, "He must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked out here below." Thankfully, the Bible reveals that awesome purpose. It is transcendent and glorious beyond our wildest imaginings.

In the meantime, humanity at large gropes blindly—refusing to follow and believe the light of God's Word. After the magazine issue went to press, I was appalled to see the news about U.S. President Barack Obama addressing Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. The first sitting president to do so, he was received with enthusiastic applause. "'Everybody sit down,' Obama said sheepishly. 'You're making me blush'" (WashingtonExaminer.com, April 26, 2013). And then there was this: "'I want you to know that you've also got a president who's going to be right there with you, fighting every step of the way,' said Obama. 'Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you'" (WeeklyStandard.com, April 26, emphasis added).

The leader of the United States invoking God to bless the efforts of those who take the lives of His created children? Words fail.

How long, O Lord, until the nightmare of human misrule in this age is at last over? How long until the needed lessons of life are last learned? Thankfully, God's purpose is not thwarted. The destiny He has planned for mankind includes all those who have been unjustly deprived of life—including the unborn. May God bring the realization of that great destiny swiftly. And may we continue to hold fast to the vision of that awesome future until that future is now.