Tag: hope

Is God frowning at you?

Christians have the great promise of joy and hope, and these are based on God’s grace in Christ. What better promises? And what greater foundation to trust them?

And yet, Christians may and do feel joyless and hopeless at times. When the circumstances of life bite and gnaw, when the sinful desires of our own heart roar and prowl, and when the presence of our beloved Savior seems but a distant memory, it is quite normal for Christians to feel a sense of despair. In Psalm 42, the psalmist gives literary expression to the feelings that sometimes plague us.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (v5).

“I say to God… why have You forgotten me?” (v9).

“Adversaries taunt me… all day long… [saying], ‘Where is your God?'” (v11).

If you feel some sense of the frown of God today, then consider the Gospel, and invite trusted Christian friends to help you discern whether or not you are truly trusting and following Christ. If their loving counsel is an encouragement that you are, then please, dear brother or sister, remember these things:

1) Remember that you have felt God’s smile before. These times are real, though they may feel distant. If God has ever smiled over you, given you His blessing and not His curse, then you may be certain that He is always smiling over you (Eph. 2:1-10).

2) Remember that God’s promises are absolutely trustworthy and not at all dependent upon feeling or circumstance. Think of Abraham and God’s delayed promise of an offspring and a nation. God doesn’t always do what we might want, but He is always working for the good ends He has prepared for His people (Rom. 8:28-29).

3) Remember that God is glorified, not in your confident self-reliance, but in your simple trust in His power and grace. Putting one foot in front of the other towards Christ is much more glorious than dashing or leaping in any other direction (Gal. 2:20).

May God grant you joy and hope, and especially if these things seem far away from you today. May you behold the glory of Christ and feel His Spirit refreshingly assure you of your glorious and secure adoption into the family of God (Rom. 8:14-17).

Are You Prepared to Suffer?

When tragedy strikes, we usually experience a range of emotions. We feel sorrow and pain, guilt and regret, and sometimes even vulnerable and bitter. At some point we decide, whether consciously or not, how we will cope with our new reality.

In these moments of turmoil, there is little we can do to regain our solid footing. The winds of circumstance and emotion furiously toss us to and fro. And yet, there is solid ground for those who are prepared for these perilous times.

But, how does one prepare for such times? And, how does one brave such perils?

The Bible proves itself to be divine wisdom in so many ways, but in my experience, its usefulness is most precious in the midst of the stormiest calamities. God knows His creation well, and He is sovereign over everything, so He is not surprised by suffering. In fact, He has ordained it. Furthermore, He has given us counsel and even His own example in an effort to prepare us and shelter us from all kinds of distress.

First, consider the reality and expectation of suffering. Since Genesis 3, this mortal life has been full of suffering. In our modern western culture, we are often insulated from some of the painful realities of life, but our illusions of safety are ripped away when the sting of this world wounds us too (James 5:10-11).

Second, consider the biblical teaching that God ordains suffering. The Bible knows nothing of a god who merely watches human events and activities. The God of the Bible is sovereign over whatever happens, and He is at work through suffering. God not only allows suffering; He brings it to pass according to His will (1 Pet. 4:19; Lamentations 3:37-38) and for His purposes (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28-29).

Third, consider Christ’s example of suffering. Not only may we take heart in the fact that God is sovereign over our suffering, but we may also be encouraged to see God Himself endure suffering through Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are not surprised to experience suffering because our Master and Lord experienced it long ago (Heb. 2:10; Phil. 3:8-10; 1 Pet. 2:19-21).

Last, consider the hope of what is to come for those who trust Christ through their suffering. One can hardly say it better than the Bible already has:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet. 5:6–11).

May God spare us all from too many harsh and painful experiences. More importantly, however, may He help us to be sober-minded about what to expect in this fallen world, and may He grant us grace to trust Him in the midst of our stormy days.

For we know that He who reigns supreme will gloriously strengthen all who lean upon Him, and we know that God Himself will exalt those who cast their anxieties on Him.

Hope because of Love

The prophet Jeremiah assures, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

The coming of Christ is demonstration of something profound about God Himself. God decided to create humans, and He decided to lovingly preserve humanity even after egregious disobedience. Throughout human history, God kept saying He loved humans despite their proclivity to dissent from and even disregard God’s good authority.

There are certainly ways we can see God’s love on display in various acts in the past, but one particular scene shows God’s love more than any other. In the coming of God the Son to earth, humanity was able to point to something tangible and say, “This is God’s love.” When Christ came, lived, died, and rose again, we forevermore could know for sure that God’s love is steadfast.

On this last day of the week of hope, we begin to see how our hope rests upon the never-ceasing love of God. The Lord is our portion, indeed, and we may enjoy new mercies every morning because our hope is in the God who has already demonstrated His unwavering love in Christ.

How do you know that God will keep His promises? Why do you hope in Him? It is because He loves with an active and inexhaustible love, which we have already seen on display in the person and work of Christ.

A Sure Faith

The author of Hebrews reminds us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation” (Hebrews 11:1-2).

Faith has become something of a nebulous word in recent days. For someone to “have faith” is often nothing more than their possession of a feeling of optimism. Faith, however, is much more stabilizing than mere feeling… at least from the Bible’s perspective of such things.

Biblical faith is much more akin to “trust in” or “secure dependence upon” someone or something. The necessary question that must follow any mention of faith is, “Who or what are you depending on?” or “In what or who are you placing your faith?”.

God has promised to give eternal and abundant life through Christ Jesus. This is good reason to have faith that all who trust in Jesus will receive as God has promised. But there is still further assurance of the promises of God, namely that God has delivered on His promises in Christ.

Jesus Christ has come! He has lived, and He has died, and He has conquered death for all who trust in Him! Therefore, faith is an assured hope that the same God who raised Christ from the dead is working in all things to bring about His desired ends.

We Hope for Justice

The prophet Isaiah laments, “Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men” (Isaiah 59:9-10).

The world we live in is not as it should be, and this is the reason we need hope. Justice and righteousness and vigor for both is not the norm among humanity today. Furthermore, this is not just a contemporary problem. Human history is replete with injustice and immorality. Even among the people of God there is weakness and brokenness, and this is why we hope.

The evidence of our human desire for justice is all around us. Our modern American vocabulary even includes the phrase “social justice warrior.” Now, the phrase may sometimes be intended as virtuous and other times used as a pejorative, but the reality that we use such a phrase at all is indicative of our desire for justice.

Our hearts break when we see injustice, and we may work towards a more just society. However, Christians know that justice is something only Christ can truly bring. We do not place our hope in a political office, a social movement, a judicial appointment, or an economic strategy. We wait in hope for the arrival of the gracious king of glory, Christ Jesus Himself, who brings justice and healing to all who embrace His righteous rule.

Hope-filled Promise

The psalmist says, “Remember Your word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your promise gives me life” (Psalm 119:49-50).

In this world, we will face good days and bad ones. Anyone who has lived long enough can easily attest to the fact that some days are quite bad. We endure affliction from multiple sources and with varying effects.

Some suffer from the pains of bodily illness, others from mental anguish, still others from emotional distress. Some grieve the personal loss of a loved one, and others ache under the weight of needy loved ones who yet remain. Financial strain, relational dysfunction, precarious job situations, wayward children, and a slew of other crises may afflict us throughout our lifetime.

With all of this, what is the Christian’s hope? Do we hope in the words of politicians or doctors, philosophers or well-meaning friends, employers or academics? The psalmist reminds us that there is a word from God, which has the ability to create hope and give comfort… even in the midst of affliction.

What, then, is that life-giving word from God? Ah, the most glorious word from God is the promise He made to renew all things through the Savior – the suffering conqueror. Oh, such a word is blessed hope to all those who hear and believe! Though things are not now as they should be, God in Christ is making all things new! He will not leave things as they are, but He will renovate heaven and earth.

Dawn of Hope

God said to the serpent of old, “I will put enmity between you and the woman [Eve], and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

It is overwhelming to measure what was lost when sin entered creation through Adam and Eve. The bleakness of death, the brokenness of relationships, and the barrenness of creation itself are all results or effects of this horrific fall. In God’s poetic response to humanity’s first sin, we hear terrifying truths.

And yet… there is also a beam of hope-filled light amid that darkness! God’s first words about the future of mankind were not condemning but restorative. Before God declared the disastrous curse, He shouted the hope-giving promise of blessing!

In this ancient account of the first sin, we find the first gracious proclamation of the good news from God. He is merciful, and He promised a rescuer, a savior, a restorer. All that was lost in the fall is gained through Jesus Christ.

Jesus restores life to the dead, He restores the joy of living to the glory of God, He restores harmony in broken relationships, and He restores the heritage of an everlasting family.

In short, Jesus is Himself the dawn of hope for all who love and trust Him.

Commemorating the Lord’s Death

“…proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes…” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

While we would likely prefer to avoid hard and uncomfortable topics, God addresses them head on. Our loving heavenly Father graciously gives us truth and wisely meets us where we are. God doesn’t pretend bad things are not really bad, and He doesn’t merely give us empty one-liners in a superficial attempt to make us feel better.

Instead, God gives us a suffering Savior who triumphs through defeat. While the whole world clamors for power, God the Son voluntarily gives Himself over to humiliation. While humanity seeks to be free from woe and grief, the God-man presents Himself as the willing sufferer. What is this?! What kind of King… what kind of Messiah… what kind of God?!

God gives us real hope for all time and a promise of victory forevermore, not by forcibly and immediately removing all suffering, but by entering the suffering Himself. One day we shall finally be free from suffering and death, but until then we commemorate the death of death in the death of Christ, our Lord.

Calming Fear with Fear? Yes, really…

In ancient days, the sea was perceived as the ultimate untamed beast. The wild oceans and seas were turbulent, they were uncontrollable, and they were sometimes terrifying…. What am I saying? They are still these things!
Today, where I live, people are much quicker to think of these kinds of terrors in relation to a storm rather than the seas or oceans. Maybe it’s because I live pretty far away from any coastline, but the great untamed beast is a storm-front more than the sea in my stomping ground.
At any rate, there always seems to be something which embodies our fears, and storms do a good job of exposing our utter helplessness on the grand stage of life. However, I believe that the storm itself is not what causes our fear. Instead, the storm is that circumstance, that experience, which brings our fears of other things to a climactic head. Keep in mind, though, the “storm” may also be a metaphor for a host of circumstantial fears; you may feel free to insert your particular experience for the best application.
God once spoke to His people through the prophet Jeremiah, rebuking them for fearing the wrong thing. God said His people should have feared Him and not their circumstances – such as the roaring sea.
He said, “Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it” (Jeremiah 5:22).
God basically told the people that they should fear Him more than they fear the embodiment of their worst fears – the sea. God did not equivocate, but I am using the word “fear” in two different senses here. On the one hand, we fear or feel horror at the perception of ominous circumstances; on the other hand, we are to fear or have a reverent respect for God as the all-powerful sovereign.
With this in mind, allow me to outline three false assumptions which stimulate us to fear (horror) and the healthy fear (reverent respect) we ought to have in its place.
First, you may imagine that the storm – your fear-inducing circumstance – has no driver.
This is a common thought among modern western people. We have become so familiar with the scientific language of a materialistic worldview that we do not notice the utterly anti-biblical nature of such thinking. The wind and the waves, the sun and the moon, the rain and the drought all obey the command of God. While we may observe material causes for such things, and we may also see patterns that help us make sense of the world around us, God is the providential sovereign over it all. He upholds the universe by the word of His mouth (Heb. 1:3), and there is not so much as a single rogue molecule. It is God we should fear (reverently respect), for the storm is fully under His control.
Second, you may assume that the driver of your fear-inducing circumstance is a vengeful barbarian. 
This is less common among non-Christians (ironically), but Christians who take their own sinful rebellion seriously are often plagued by incredible fear (horror). Christians sometimes assume that the God, who controls the wind and the waves, has no patience for their remaining disobedience. The rest they once enjoyed in Christ becomes elusive, and their anxiety rises in anticipation of God’s judgment. However, God has revealed Himself as a good and gracious King and not a vengeful barbarian. He is patient with rebels and gentle with the contrite. It is His loving kindness that is meant to lead sinners to repentance (Rom. 2:4). We should fear God (reverent respect), but if we trust and love Christ, we should not live in horror at His judgment. There is no judgment coming to those in Christ Jesus.
Third, you may presume upon your own works as your refuge and safety, forgetting the work of Christ. 
This one is related to the one above, but I thought it worth mentioning at greater length and in more specific detail. Of course, the character of God – that He is good and kind not hateful and spiteful – is the place to begin. And yet, there is also a very real tendency among Christians to move from trusting Christ toward trusting themselves as their faith-journey continues on. While Christians are (by definition) those who trust Christ and not themselves, the ongoing life of Christward pursuit produces exasperating humiliation for those who really give it a try. The thorough knowledge of remaining sinful desires, the continuation of divided affections, and the frequent failure to live as faithfully as you truly want to live can send a Christian right into fear (horror).
But, take heart Christian! If you feel such a weight concerning your sin, then this is the grace of God! God certainly does not want you to remain fearful (in horror), but He does want you to come to the end of yourself. He wants you to fear Him (reverent respect), and know that His promise to utterly cleanse you and renew you is sure. God want you to throw away your ridiculous notions of self-sufficiency and press into Him until you fearfully trust nothing but Him!
The Bible tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7). I believe this is true, and I believe that the fear of God is the beginning of true freedom from all fear.
May God make us to fear Him, and may we grow increasingly free from the fear of all else.

All is from God

“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven” (Jn. 3:27).

What do you have that is not from God?

The Bible answers, “Ultimately, absolutely nothing.”

Your response to this may vary. Some may be thinking about good things for which they should be grateful. Others may reminisce over fond memories of past blessings. Still, others may recoil at the thought of their trials, pains, and obstacles having come from God. Whatever your immediate response, consider with me the profound comfort we may find in this truth.

First, meaning for the past. Since nothing has come to you that is not from God, you can know that there is meaning and purpose in all that you have experienced. This is a particular comfort to Christians, because we may also know that God is working in all things to bring about our good (sanctification, holiness, joy, and more [Rom. 8:28]). You haven’t gone through anything for nothing.

Second, trust in the present. Since nothing you are facing now is outside of God’s good design, you can trust Him in the midst of the storm. The Christian is not left to wander alone through the trials of life, but he/she can (and should) find great comfort in the reality that God is in control and He is near. This is, in fact, what Jesus prayed for His followers, not that we would avoid suffering in this world, but that God would be with us in and through it (John 17:14-21).

Third, hope for the future. Since nothing will ever come to you that is not from God, you can know that all God has promised will most certainly come to pass. While the sovereignty of God may cause many questions to arise in our minds, the most important thing such a concept should do is bring us great hope. I am not talking about wishful thinking… I am talking about hope in the way the Bible uses the term. The Bible says every Christian enjoys the “hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Titus 1:2).

May God comfort your heart and mind today with this fact… “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven” (Jn. 3:27).