Life is tough; we face problems in relationships, careers,
families, finances, and every other situation involved in living on this broken
planet. God calls us to have hope and joy despite such challenges, even while
we grieve and suffer and hurt. I am particularly challenged in the
practicalities of having hope and believing that God can make the broken whole while at the same time not let it cut me right now.
Maybe you relate. Perhaps your marriage is broken and your
spouse has filed for divorce. Do you fight it or do you protect your future and
what is rightfully yours? When do you simply accept a new reality and move
forward? It could be that you have a life-threatening illness. Do you continue praying
for healing when the treatment is failing or prepare your family for your
death? How does hope work with the reality of life’s brokenness? How do we
continue to trust God and show deep faith when reality suggests otherwise?
First, we must never lose hope in the love and goodness of
God. His character never changes despite the difficulties of our circumstances.
We must ground ourselves in knowing his character so that we are steadfast in
our faith when all else fails. When we cannot see God’s goodness, we believe his
work is good based on who he is.
Second, our decisions must be established through prayer. It
would be easier if there were a one-time answer for every person in every situation,
but there simply isn’t. It is necessary to hear God personally. He is the source
of all wisdom, and we must diligently seek it from him (Is. 9:6; Prov. 2:1-6).
Third, it is prudent to take what we sense that God is
saying and run it by wise counselors (Prov. 11:14). Our emotions can deceive us
and our understanding of reality can be skewed because of our own desires (Jer.
17:9).
Fourth, we do live in a world broken by sin. Life doesn’t
turn out perfectly and yet God redeems our lives anyway. He will not always fix
the problem but he will always use it for his glory and our good (Rom.
8:28-29). He is our hope; our hope doesn’t depend upon a good ending to the
situation.
What have you learned about holding on to hope in the midst
of broken reality?
Posts
Going through rough times we need to rely on the supports God has placed in our path. When we lost our son unexpectedly God had already put blogging in my life. This helped me through the grieving process. God supports us in ways we may not even be aware of.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joyful Noise, for reminding us of the need to rely on the supports God has already given us.
ReplyDeleteJane,
ReplyDeleteThat waiting time is so hard, trying to hope in God while he clearly interrupts what seems to be his plan. Keep trusting, sweet friend!