Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12)

 

We are told in Scripture that we are not to lose hope in times of trial. We are to have faith and trust that God has everything under his control. To have true faith, you must take God at his word. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 we read that “We look to things that are not seen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal”. Why is that so hard to do when we face pain and struggles that that seem to crush our heart?

I have often wondered why I can trust God with my eternal salvation but yet struggle to trust him in the daily storms of uncertainty. The word of God is abundantly clear that Christ has our future in his hands. Long before we were born, his eyes saw our unformed substance and he numbered our days to align with his perfect plan long before one of them came to be.  No believer dies too young. It is all divinely timed. So what is to fear?

The answer to that is there is nothing to fear but what you allow yourself to believe. Your life is in God’s hands, not the devil’s and not the world’s.   The eye of God never leaves you for an instant. Even Job understood this truth. He never doubted that God was with him, he just couldn’t understand why God was allowing him to suffer. He got to the point where he wished he was never born alive.  I must admit that there were times I felt like Job but I refused to give up. God has shown me love and mercy when I didn’t deserve it. Surrendering to the lies of the enemy was never an option.  Christ has promised the crown of life to those who remain steadfast under trial. The disciple James tells us in verse 1 of his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness…..that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing“.

Now joy might not be easy for you to consider in your times of pain but, by faith, you must trust that God has a purpose for it and that he has promised to use all things for your good according to his purpose for you. To believe anything less is to believe the lie of an enemy who wants you to give up.

My friends, the days are growing shorter and the attacks from the devil will increase. You may be facing unbearable pain and suffering now, but my prayer is that you will hold on in hope. The Apostle Paul endured hardship, pain, and suffering to the point of death, but he considered it worth the cost of knowing Christ and his righteousness. There is nothing greater than knowing that your struggles are bringing you to the point in life for which God has purposed for you. Every pain and hardship is bringing you deeper into the knowledge of Christ. He is revealing more of himself to you.

The power that raised Christ from the dead and that calmed the sea is living in the heart of every believer. He knows what he is doing even when you don’t understand his ways. He will never abandon you in your heartache. He is close enough to you to see your tears. He keeps them in a bottle that is next to his heart. You are never alone to fight your battles when you belong to Christ. Most importantly, you can’t be destroyed by your pain no matter how hurtful it seems now.

Can you wait on Christ? Will you trust him to the end? No matter how big your problems are, they cannot stop the future for which Christ died to give you.  Your pain will not last forever. His love for you will not fail. Ask God to give you the strength you need to trust him with all that comes against you.  He is faithful to guide you to the end. That’s a promise!