“But the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.”
Psalm 9:18
In the midst of hurt and pain, it is easy to believe God does not see or does not care. Today may find us in great need, in dire circumstances, or caught off guard.
When all is well, we seldom ask: God, why have you chosen to bless me?
But when hurting, we often ask: God, why did you cause this? Why won’t you fix this?
We are living in the middle—the time between our salvation and our glorification. This middle part may bring joy or pain, delight or despair, happiness or sadness. But we always, always, always have hope.
Because our hope is in Christ, our hope is confident. Sure. Absolute. Guaranteed. Our tomorrow will be better than today, because heaven awaits in our tomorrow.
But must I wait until heaven to be happy? Am I destined to suffer here?
Some do suffer more than others. You may be enduring a pain that threatens to break you—a pain that others do not endure.
Why my husband? Why my job? Why me?
And those questions prompt even more questions:
Does God cause pain – or merely allow it?
Does the existence of pain mean God has overlooked or forgotten me?
Is God punishing me?
Do both good and bad people suffer?
In times of gut-wrenching circumstances, we question what we do not know, but the better focus is to declare what we do know:
God is good.
God is great, faithful, and mighty.
God loves me. He is for me.
God sees my pain and is present with me in it.
This middle part does bring pain, but it is never without hope. We can be assured that God will sort it all out in the end.
Justice will come.
Healing will be delivered.
Peace will be provided.
This is the confident assurance—the sure hope—for those who love God.
Today is not my end and it is not yours. This is the middle. This world is not all there is. Today brings opportunity for God to be glorified … both in our joy and in our pain.
Whatever our today brings, tomorrow will be better. May we never become so comfortable and pleased with our present that we stop longing for our blessed glorious future.
Lord, our hope for today and tomorrow is in You!
In this week’s Cross My Heart teaching video, Laura examines the topic of suffering and pain as she looks at the conversation between Job (who is suffering) and his friend Bildad (who is lecturing). You can view it here:
This month’s Write The WORD bookmark focuses on verses about HOPE. If you haven’t already downloaded a copy, please be sure to get yours today and jump in this week as we read, write, and study what the Bible tells us about HOPE.
