A Glimmer of Hope

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3

  Are you going through a time of difficulty right now? Is there something causing you to believe there is no light at the end of the tunnel? Then I have a verse I’d like to share with you that will hopefully provide encouragement on this cold, wintry day.

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ~ 1 Peter 5:10

     I remember finding this verse during a particularly difficult time in my life while I was in the dark throes of depression. I felt such a sense of hopelessness. I even had thoughts that maybe I would never be whole again; never be able to enjoy my husband, children or anything else that used to bring me purpose. Everything was meaningless. I drug chains of despair around, never seeing any way to be free of them.

     Then I began reading my Bible daily. Most days after reading the scriptures despair was still my unwanted companion. But I didn’t give up. Slowly God began speaking to me through certain verses. I remember finding the verse above and feeling a glimmer of hope. Even though it seemed my illness had lasted an eternity, I realized in the grand scheme of things it was only a moment. I felt God was promising me healing; this depression would only last a little while.

     Throughout the next year, God continued showing me promises from His Word. I clung to these, especially during the darkest hours. I had to hold onto the hope He had put in my heart. It was all I had.

     Finally, the day came when God fulfilled His promise of healing in my life. I’d never experienced such joy before. My heart overflowed. I became strong, firm and steadfast in my faith, understanding better than ever why our suffering leads to joy. I can honestly say I’m grateful for having gone through it. This pain caused me to love God more than I ever had.

     I don’t know what dark situation you may be facing today, but I do know if you give it to God and ask Him to give you hope, He’ll be faithful to do so. It may not come immediately, but don’t give up.

     Despair is such an ugly thing. It only allows us to see the gloom in our situation. But God is waiting to shine His bright ray of love into our darkness. Why not try picking up the Bible today and giving Him a chance to prove it?

Father Knows Best?

You will keep in 

perfect peace him 

whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in You. ~ Isaiah 26:3

Do you believe God can do 

that great work in your life?

Do you believe God can heal all of your diseases?

     These are questions I hear repeated over and over from pastors, speakers and teachers in the church.  I believe God can do anything. I don’t have a problem with what God is able to do. The question that sometimes keeps me up at night is this; Will God grant my requests? I know He hears the cries of His people, but what is ultimately Gods will?

     

     I believe all the Bible stories of God’s miraculous deeds. I also believe God is present in modern-day miracles. I’ve even experienced God’s awesome power in my own life on numerous occasions. But why should I think He’ll come through for me every time? Even though Psalm 20:4 says, May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed, I know He doesn’t always answer my prayers the way I hope.

     

     Several years ago a couple in our church had an 18 year old son who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. The family was devastated, as was our church. But we hung on to our faith, fervently believing he would be healed. I fervently believed he would be healed. I prayed often for this young man who had so much life left to live, knowing he would soon be freed from this awful disease.

     

     But guess what? God didn’t heal him. Not in the earthly sense, anyway. Shortly after his 19^th birthday, after fighting valiantly to live, God took him home. My heart broke for his dear family.

     

     I couldn’t believe it. I felt so sure he would live to be an old man, sharing the miraculous power of God’s healing. But that didn’t happen.

     

     I must admit I struggled with how God had answered our prayers. I saw no reason why it wouldn’t be in God’s will to save him. And because of this I became fearful, waiting for the other shoe to drop, knowing He didn’t have to give me anything I asked for. I drug that ball and chain of fear around for a long time, feeling  like no one I loved was safe.

     

     Then I began leading a Bible study and shared honestly with the ladies about my fears. I discovered there were many others just as confused with the outcome as I was. But there was one amazing woman in our group who had experienced more grief in her young years than many will in a lifetime. Her daughter was born with a rare disease which gave the child a lifespan of about 11 years and she had passed away before we began our study.

    

     This great lady of faith had experienced the reality of what I feared most, losing a child. But she wasn’t morose or bitter. On the contrary, she always had a smile on her face and big hugs to give.

    

     During one session she told our group how God had used her beautiful little daughter to bring big, strong men to Christ. Even though she couldn’t speak or acknowledge those around her, this little girl became a testimony of God’s love. This mother knew her daughter had fulfilled God’s purpose in life.

     

     “We just have to trust Him,” she explained,“ He knows best.”

      

     Of course, she was absolutely right.

     

     Not long after this, I was studying scripture and a verse I’d read many times suddenly stopped me in my tracks.

     

     Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

     

     I realized then that God had been testing me all along to see if I really trusted Him. My fear didn’t just hurt me, it offended God. I would never find freedom until I learned to trust Him more than my fear. Once I understood this, the chains of fear began to loosen their grip on me.

     

     Even though it isn’t a constant presence in my life now, fear still rears its ugly head once in a while, wanting to paralyze me and make me ineffective for Christ. When that happens, I have to remind myself that God loves me and always has my best interest at heart, even if it’s painful.

      

     I still don’t know why God heals some and not others. Or why some have wonderful answers to their prayers while others are left with only questions.  We may never understand why this side of heaven.

    

     That young man’s family has bravely moved on, continuing to share God’s love with others. As with the mother of the little girl, they also have smiles and hugs to give away, even though I’m sure they still grapple with why their son had to die.

     

     God is worthy of our trust, period. I know this isn’t the answer many of you want to hear. It really wasn’t the answer I was looking for either. I wanted something concrete to justify the why’s, but that’s not always Gods way.

     

     When we inevitably end up groping in the dark looking for answers, He is always right beside us working things out for our good and His glory. In those moments we need to remember to reach up and let the Father take hold of our hand, trusting He’s got everything under control, even if we don't understand it all yet.

What anxious thoughts are you having today that may be offending God?   

If you're interested in learning more about putting your trust in God, check out 
The Seven Checkpoints: Seven Principles Every Teenager Needs to Know by Andy Stanley and Stuart Hall. 
The chapter titled Checkpoint #1: Authentic Faith has one of the best explanations of faith and trust I've ever read.