Jeremiah 29: 11 - 12 NKJV
I learned this morning of a man who recently lost his job due to cutbacks. He is more of a aquaintance at this point, but a friend of a few friends of mine. Someone I hope to get to know. Of course, as when something such as this happens, he is not the only victim, for he has a wife and three children to provide for. Now, someone losing their job in this Obama economy is certainly nothing unusual, we've all seen it. However, it is how we handle these situations as christians that is the subject of this post. I've certainly been involved in my share of circumstances where my first reaction was to stop and cry out, "Why me Lord?" I'm sure that is where our friend finds himself this weekend. It is certainly at times such as this where the prince of the power of the air (satan) loves to come knocking to remind us once again that we have not hope at all, that all is lost. Of course, this is contrary to the hope which we have in Christ Jesus. As our heavenly Father replied to the prophet Jeremiah, His plan is not for evil, but to give His children and a hope. We should expect nothing less from Him. However, from my own personal experience, this is often easier said than done. So, how is it that we should approach a brother who has fallen into a tough situation? Well, I believe that this is not the time to toss scripture verses and lectures at someone, for this is a time for encouragement and not condemnation. That being said, there are more than a few scripture verses we can draw upon which show us our Lords presence in time such as these. Jeremiah 29:11 is but one of these. We can also get deeper into this thought by asking, what is our hope in times of trouble? Of course, as christians that simple answer is Christ Jesus, our hope of glory.
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 all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8: 24 - 28 NKJV
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul gives us some golden advice for those times in which we are forced to endure setbacks. For indeed, as Paul tells us, "Why does one still hope for what he sees?" In fact, he is absolutely right, for is hope defined as waiting for something we already know will happen? No, I would argue that this is expectation. If we know something will occur, we expect it's occurance. However, if we are unsure of something in the future, we indeed hope for our favorable result. It's that simple. We can either expect or hope for a result. Now, is our trust in our heavenly Father strong enough to indeed turn our hopes into expectations? For we know that it is not our Lords intent to do bad to His children, but that he enjoys in providing for us. THIS is our reason to hope. knowing full well that our Lord does not have harm, but well being in store for us. Does this mean that we will always find this life easy, certainly not. But we must know in our hearts that despite what is happening all around us, our heavenly Father is orchestrating good for us. That is what He does. We hope for what we cannot see, indeed we wait eagerly for it.
~Scott~
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