The Apostle Paul
wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we
are of all people most to be pitied.” Have you ever considered the converse
statement, “If in Christ we have hope for eternity only, we are to be pitied”?
Perhaps it is just because of where I’m at in life, but that latter statement
has come to mind more than once in recent months. Yes, we need to have hope for
eternal life, which is Paul’s point, but don’t we also need hope for daily
life? Certainly there are times when the eternal hope is predominant, such as
in the case of terminal illness or when enduring persecution for your faith. At
those times, daily life may be so precarious that hope has to rest in the
promise of eternal life free from pain and suffering.
But for most
of us there are a lot of days to live in this life before we arrive at the
fullness of eternal life. So where do we find that hope to carry us from day to
day when circumstances are discouraging, life feels less than enjoyable, and
perseverance is lacking?
Last night I
came across this verse: “But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in
those who hope in His steadfast love” (Psalm 147:11). Something clicked for me
in reading that. God’s love is our source of hope. There are more than 120
references to God’s steadfast love in the Psalms alone (26 in Psalm 136). It
doesn’t matter what is going on around us—we are assured of His love, so we can
endure. We know that He cares (1 Peter 5:7); He is with us (Matthew 28:20); He
is at work in us (Philippians 1:6); and He will bear fruit in us (John 15:5,
Galatians 5:22). That knowledge should give us hope to keep pressing on, though
I’ll be the first to admit that that is sometimes easier said than done. I’m
preaching at myself here and I’ve had this preached at me a few times lately.
When
relationships hurt—hope in His steadfast love.
When work is frustrating—hope in His steadfast love.
When stress piles up—hope in His steadfast love.
When sorrows accumulate—hope in His steadfast love.
When nothing seems to change—hope in His steadfast love.
When work is frustrating—hope in His steadfast love.
When stress piles up—hope in His steadfast love.
When sorrows accumulate—hope in His steadfast love.
When nothing seems to change—hope in His steadfast love.
Rich Mullins' song Verge of a Miracle is a reminder to me that God’s love is near, and that is a promise we can
hold onto when nothing else makes sense. It’s also a reminder that we may never
know when we’re on the verge of a miracle. The miraculous usually isn’t
announced in advance!
