Never Without Hope

~The world famous Ariel Lift Bridge, the entry into the harbor of Duluth, Minnesota, long a shelter of safety for mariners from the storms and waves of Lake Superior~

Therefore, having been justifed by faith,we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not dissapoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ die for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Romans 5: 1-9 NKJV

There have been plenty of times in my life where I felt as if the world had caught up with me, that I had finally had run out of hope entirely.  It's then that the doubts come rushing in, "How can God save me now, what if God wants me to suffer, have my sins finally caught up with me?"  There have been a few times when I have given into these doubts, and it only resulted in depression and anxiety on my part.  However, throughout these tribulations, God did not change, He remained the same.  Yes, that means that this God who has promised to never leave me nor forsake me has not changed.  Neither my trials or tribulations nor my former sin has changed anything about my Lord.  In fact, as the scripture claims, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever {Hebrews 13:8}.  I would suggest that if anything changed as a result of my tribulations and sufferings, it was myself and not God.  If there has been one thing I have learned through my times of tribulation and suffering, it is that even in those times where I have felt hopeless, I ALWAYS had a hope in Christ Jesus.  For it is Jesus who gives hope to the hopeless, justice to the persecuted and rest for the weary.  In a world of negatives, we can place our trust in Christ Jesus that He will shelter us in our afflictions.  We are never without a hope even in those times when we feel most hopeless.

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  And we know that things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8: 24 - 28 NKJV

There is plenty of scripture to back up the point that it is Christ Jesus who actively works for good on our behalf.  He who became sin on or behalf {2 Corinthians 5:21} never fails in His love for Gods children.  For it is also through Christ Jesus in which we now have access to our heavenly Father {Ephesians 2:18}.  Trust me, knowing this truth comes in handy in those times when we most feel that we are alone in our sufferings.  I've also often heard it said that God is most interested in allowing us to suffer when we sin, to teach us to follow Him.  This isn't how God operates.  Our God is the loving Father who loved enough to save us in spite of our sins {Romans 5:8}.  If God were simply interested in teaching us a lesson, the sacrafice of Jesus on that cross would be in doubt.  And what of those sins which many continue to beat themselves up over?  Indeed, our heavenly Father may tell us as we come before Him with guilt laden hearts, "What sin my child?"  For we know that Christ Jesus died to sin "Once for all" {Romans 6:10}.  As He hung on that cross and cried, "It is finished," He left behind no sin for which we could bring before our heavenly Father for fogiveness.  Jesus took care of that for us.  We can rest assured that we are never without the very presence of Christ Jesus in all we do {Galations 2:20}.

~Scott~