FINDING HOPE

There are times when it feels impossible to be hopeful- when a loved one is suffering, when a diagnosis is not good, when a cherished relationship appears to be ending, when our ideal job falls through. All of these times may be tests of our faith. The easy thought is that God wants to know if we love Him, but the better thought is that God is showing us just how much we actually trust His love for us. Do we really “know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose?" (Romans 8:28 KJV) Can I say that even when I’ve lost my job? Do we really feel that “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit?” (Psalm 34:18) Can I feel His presence even as I watch my loved one leave me? When I find myself sick and in pain am I brave enough to say, “I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me?" (Psalm 23:4) You see when times get tough we get distracted from the very promises that we have built our faith on. According to John 14:26, that’s when the Holy Spirit carries us by reminding our hearts until we are “convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV) Then, we know that whatever is, whatever was, and whatever is to come is for “the good” of all concerned because God loves us and our loved ones. When our hearts trust God’s love above all else, even when He doesn’t answer the way we want, that’s where we find hope.