“We wait in hope for the
Lord; He is our help and our shield.” – Psalm 33:20
There is so much suffering
in the world. From birth to death, life inflicts some of us with atrocities
that are hard to fathom. This terrifying devastation is often more than we can
bear. In spite of what we suffer, the God of Hope has a purpose for our life.
When our heart is sad, we can look to God for deliverance. We can praise Him
again and again, because He is our God and Savior (Psalm 42:11). God
collects every single tear that we ever shed in His bottle and records them all
in His book (Psalm 56:8). Just
imagine the size of that bottle and scroll! He cares about us so much that He
sent His son to die in our place and to pay the penalty of our sins.
Life on this earth is merely
temporal. After our last breath on earth, our next breath will be in eternity.
Whether we go to Heaven or hell, we will spend eternity there. Remembering that
Heaven is our eternal home gives Believers a new perspective on the
heart-break, stress, confusion, loneliness, irritations and desolation we
experience in this secular world. We face the consequences of discrimination,
environmental disasters, false accusations, violence, lies, hatred, war,
unfaithfulness and every immoral decision. However, God lives within us through
every negative experience, and will help us to endure to the end with a song in
our heart and victory in our walk (Matthew
24:12-13; Psalm 108:1; 1 Corinthians 15:57).
God also cares about every
negative emotion, which infects our soul. He desires to replace it with the
fruit of His Spirit. At times we are so wounded that we cannot hold up our head
or take one step. Our lips have not smiled in years. However, the goodness of
God is just waiting to fill our hearts and sustain us with His love. There is
no need to turn away from God, entertain bitterness in our soul or plan a
strategy of revenge against a sinful world that often overwhelms us (Proverbs
13:12). Through each trial, God gives us
hope that provides a trustworthy anchor for our soul (Hebrews
6:18-20).
We come out of the
circumstance stronger and more secure in God’s love. The Lord is our Helper,
and there is no need for fear (Hebrews 13:6). He
is the God of hope and He fills us with joy and peace, as we trust in Him (Romans
15:13). Paul and James both believed
that it is actually possible to rejoice in our suffering (Romans
5:3; James 1:2). They knew the secret of
growing through our tribulation. Through suffering, we have more empathy and
grace for others, as well as humility in spirit and gratitude for everything
that God does for us each day. Jesus Himself taught us that we learn obedience
through the things that we suffer (Hebrews 5:8).
Even if the circumstances do
not turn out as we hoped they would, we have the example of Biblical Saints who
clung to their trust in the faithfulness of God (Hebrews 11:13). God prepared a home in Heaven for Believers, and we
will live with Him there for eternity (Hebrews 11:15-16). When life attempts to pull us from God’s everlasting
arms, we only need to snuggle deeper. He will never allow anyone or anything to
rip us from His embrace. As we walk by faith, God uses us as a lift boat for
others who suffer persecution or difficulties. We impart to them the hope that
God gave us in similar circumstances. Their faith increases when we share our testimony
with them.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, our hearts
rejoice in You, because we trust in Your holy name. Your unfailing love rests
upon us and we put our hope in You (Psalm 33:21-22). Our soul waits silently for You, because You are our
hope. You are our Rock and Salvation, our Stronghold. Therefore, we will never
be shaken (Psalm 62:5-6). We
may have dreams and goals for our life, but You direct our steps (Proverbs
16:9). You maneuver us through the
treacherous waters of life to put us in the right place at the right time to
accomplish Your will.
Thought for the Day:
God
is with the broken-hearted and carries us through our troubles. – Psalm 147:3
