Destroyed Lives and the Power of Hope

The town of Joplin Missouri is already rebuilding after an EF5 tornado tore a wide path through the town on Sunday, May 22. With around a third of all homes and apartments gone, the task must seem impossible to many residents. Not only homes but also hundreds of places of work and businesses were swept away by the powerful storm. Family members were lost, and lives appear destroyed.

When destruction takes away life as we know it, rebuilding requires hope. We must believe that it is possible to erect new homes, lives, friendships, trust, or marriages. Without hope, we cannot persevere through the hard work necessary to rebuild.
 Hope comes from God, who heals wounds that lie deep inside after the destructive power of sin blows into our lives, wiping out trust and breaking relationships. When we believe that "with God all things are possible(Matt. 19:26c), hope is born. Although rebuilding may involve hard work, difficult days, doubts, and fears, God is a sure Rock for our souls when everything else is gone. That doesn't make rebuilding easy, but it does make it possible.

I have personally seen God do mighty restoration when selfishness and pride left broken relationships in their wake in my own life. Even when people failed me and I failed them, I found hope in our all-powerful loving God. Because his character is sure, I learned to trust him, despite how impossible rebuilding seemed.

Too often, however, we give up without putting in the required work because rebuilding requires humility, hard work, forgiveness, and ongoing grace. Only God gives us hope to keep on going when it seems like wasted effort; we must rely on his word to persevere.

If you are dealing with destruction and rebuilding your  life seems impossible, cry out to God to supply your needs and give you hope to begin again. Share what you have learned.