God is Hope

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul tell us “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

The word “rejoice” means to feel and show great delight and joy about something, which sounds great in times of happiness and abundance! It is so easy to have delight and joy about great things happening to us.

But what about when absolutely horrible things happen to us? Are we still to have joy then and delight in the circumstance? How do we even go about that during such horrific experiences?

This is something that I have found myself wrestling with this past week: Joy in times of pain and grief. Whenever we lose a loved one, at the funeral, almost always the preacher talks about having joy amidst the pain because you know and have the certainty that you will see your loved one again - that they are in a better place and walking with the Lord. And for those who lose a loved one who is undeniably a Christian, what a joy and peace that brings.

However, what happens when we lose a loved one that was far from the Lord and living a lifestyle that was far from what the bible teaches? What then? Do we have joy in their death? Do we have joy in knowing that you not only may never see them again but that they could be experiencing a reality that is far worse than anything they experienced on earth? How do we celebrate that?

This is where I have been this week.

But the Lord has shown me something in my questioning. He has shown me joy in the hope.

“Be strong and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.” - Psalm 31: 24

The truth is, we may not know for sure where someone who we loved has been destined to for eternity. But what we do know is that we put our hope in the Lord and who he is and his character. God the Father loves each of us so much more than we could ever fathom. He wants each and every person on this earth to love him and turn to him. He wants his creation to cry out to Him and call Him “Abba, Father.”

“This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 2:3-4

If this is his character, then we can have hope that He called out to those who have perished. And even if moments before they perished, they accepted him, then they too are with him in Glory. We see a biblical example of this in Luke 23: 39-43. The sinner on the cross next to Jesus defends Him from the insults then asks Him to remember him when Jesus takes His kingdom. In verse 43, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Let’s also look at the story of Jonah running away from his mission to preach salvation to the city of Nineveh. Jonah was given the task to preach salvation to a city that, in Jonah’s eyes, did not deserve redemption.

“I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.” - Jonah 4:2

But God has a heart for redemption. Where we see devastation, He sees redemption. He sees salvation and hope.

For that reason, God has shown me that even in the most bleak situations, there is always hope.

And yes, it is true, I don’t know with all certainty that I will see my loved one again, but I can say with certainty who my God is. God is hope.  And through that hope, I can rejoice.

”Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” - Romans 15:13