Hope is something that many people lack in these modern times. We hear all the horror stories from the news about school shootings, terrorist attacks, and the like. For this reason, it is no surprise that so many people are beginning to lack hope. However, for those of us who profess the name of Christ, we have every reason to have hope in this life. What do I mean by this? Well, in this blog, I shall discuss what the Bible says about our hope. Hope is a powerful thing to wield because it helps us get through all the trials and tribulations we face. When we do not have any hope, we succumb to the devil's schemes. This blog shall be split up into three different categories: God's Sovereignty, All Things Working For Good, and The Future. After you finish reading this blog, I hope you will walk away with a newfound reason to rest in the hope of the Lord, even as this world goes from bad to worse. I will say that these are not the only reasons the Christian has hope. For the sake of this blog, these are the main points I choose to focus on. If you can think of more reasons, please feel free to let me know.
God's Sovereignty
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When we turn to Matthew 6:26-29, we read the following words from Jesus Himself,
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
The context of this beautiful passage of Scripture is about Jesus telling us not to worry about our lives. The reason that He tells us this is because of God's sovereignty over creation. The birds of the air and the lilies of the field never work and yet the Lord takes care of them. Jesus' question about us being worth more than a bird is a rhetorical device because the answer is obviously a profound yes. God cares more for His people than He cares for the birds and lilies. Since the Lord cares so much for us and since He is sovereign over creation, it is only logical to conclude that He will take care of all our needs. For this reason, Jesus can tell us not to worry about tomorrow. God knows what we need and He has the power to give us what we need when we need it. I personally find this truth amazing because I am a natural worrier. My wife can testify to the fact that I am always worried about something. As a result, I am always bringing my concerns to the Lord and He always comes through for me. I know He will do the same for you too.
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
The context of this beautiful passage of Scripture is about Jesus telling us not to worry about our lives. The reason that He tells us this is because of God's sovereignty over creation. The birds of the air and the lilies of the field never work and yet the Lord takes care of them. Jesus' question about us being worth more than a bird is a rhetorical device because the answer is obviously a profound yes. God cares more for His people than He cares for the birds and lilies. Since the Lord cares so much for us and since He is sovereign over creation, it is only logical to conclude that He will take care of all our needs. For this reason, Jesus can tell us not to worry about tomorrow. God knows what we need and He has the power to give us what we need when we need it. I personally find this truth amazing because I am a natural worrier. My wife can testify to the fact that I am always worried about something. As a result, I am always bringing my concerns to the Lord and He always comes through for me. I know He will do the same for you too.
All Things Working For Good
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The next Scripture verse I'd like to draw your attention to comes from Romans 8:28. When we turn to there, we read the following words from the Apostle Paul,
"...and we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose"
I find this verse to be a beautiful testimony of two profound truths: God's sovereignty and God's goodness. God is in control of literally everything that happens in this creation. As one theologian once said, "There is not one molecule in all creation that is outside of God's control". Also, not only is God sovereign, but He is also very good. The fact that He is good is evidence that everything He does is also good. This is why He can work everything out for our good. Notice how Paul does not say that everything is good, but that everything works for our good? This is a crucial distinction that must be made. Paul is acknowledging that not everything that happens to us is good. Of course, not everything is good. A woman being raped is not a good thing. A man being jumped by gang members is not a good thing. However, for those of us who love and trust the Lord, everything (including the rape of a woman or the man being jumped) will ultimately work out for our good. We may not fully understand how this will happen in our lives, but we still need to trust the Lord because He cannot lie. I'll admit that there are times in my life when this truth is very challenging for me to trust. However, whenever I am struggling to understand how some tragic circumstance will work out for my good, I immediately think of Deuteronomy 29:29, which says,
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law"
We may not understand how exactly God will work out everything for our good, and that is not for us to know, but we do know His promise to do so, and for that reason, we hold onto hope.
"...and we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose"
I find this verse to be a beautiful testimony of two profound truths: God's sovereignty and God's goodness. God is in control of literally everything that happens in this creation. As one theologian once said, "There is not one molecule in all creation that is outside of God's control". Also, not only is God sovereign, but He is also very good. The fact that He is good is evidence that everything He does is also good. This is why He can work everything out for our good. Notice how Paul does not say that everything is good, but that everything works for our good? This is a crucial distinction that must be made. Paul is acknowledging that not everything that happens to us is good. Of course, not everything is good. A woman being raped is not a good thing. A man being jumped by gang members is not a good thing. However, for those of us who love and trust the Lord, everything (including the rape of a woman or the man being jumped) will ultimately work out for our good. We may not fully understand how this will happen in our lives, but we still need to trust the Lord because He cannot lie. I'll admit that there are times in my life when this truth is very challenging for me to trust. However, whenever I am struggling to understand how some tragic circumstance will work out for my good, I immediately think of Deuteronomy 29:29, which says,
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law"
We may not understand how exactly God will work out everything for our good, and that is not for us to know, but we do know His promise to do so, and for that reason, we hold onto hope.
The Future
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It is not only in this life that we have hope, but we have hope for the next life as well. When we turn to Revelation 21:1-4 we read the following words from the Apostle John,
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'"
This is the blessed hope of every believer in Christ. We will one day reign on the new heaven and new earth with the eternal God. During that time there will no longer be any sickness, pain, or sorrow because there will be no more sin. God will finally do away with all sin and death and we will live for eternity. However, this is not the only thing that will happen during that time. When we turn to 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, we read the following from the Apostle Paul,
"So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; It is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, then there is a spiritual body"
On the great and glorious day of our Lord's return, all believers will be transformed into our new and glorified bodies. Paul calls these new bodies "imperishable". The dictionary definition of this word means
"Enduring forever"
For our bodies to endure forever, they would have to no longer be subject to decay. This means our bodies will no longer ache or deteriorate because of age. If we have new and glorified bodies, then it logically follows that we will have new minds that will not be subject to decay too. This means that there will be no more mental illnesses. Our mental illnesses will be completely cured on that day and forever! This truth should give us all the more reason to rejoice as we wait for His return.
I hope that this blog helps you to better understand what it means for a Christian to have hope in this life. We have more reason to hope than even unbelievers because we have a glorious God who is sovereign, is working out all things for our good, and has a glorious future prepared for us. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'"
This is the blessed hope of every believer in Christ. We will one day reign on the new heaven and new earth with the eternal God. During that time there will no longer be any sickness, pain, or sorrow because there will be no more sin. God will finally do away with all sin and death and we will live for eternity. However, this is not the only thing that will happen during that time. When we turn to 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, we read the following from the Apostle Paul,
"So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; It is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, then there is a spiritual body"
On the great and glorious day of our Lord's return, all believers will be transformed into our new and glorified bodies. Paul calls these new bodies "imperishable". The dictionary definition of this word means
"Enduring forever"
For our bodies to endure forever, they would have to no longer be subject to decay. This means our bodies will no longer ache or deteriorate because of age. If we have new and glorified bodies, then it logically follows that we will have new minds that will not be subject to decay too. This means that there will be no more mental illnesses. Our mental illnesses will be completely cured on that day and forever! This truth should give us all the more reason to rejoice as we wait for His return.
I hope that this blog helps you to better understand what it means for a Christian to have hope in this life. We have more reason to hope than even unbelievers because we have a glorious God who is sovereign, is working out all things for our good, and has a glorious future prepared for us. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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