Tag: hope

He holds our tears in pain

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I know and trust Sarah Walton’s writing, as she has such integrity, living the truth of her words. I’ve also had the honour of her and her husband contributing to our book Grace-Filled Marriage. So I was delighted when she offered an edited extract of her new book, Tears and Tossings. It is longer than my usual posts, but well worth reading through. Sarah lives with chronic illness, as do her children and they have faced many other challenges as a family. Here, she focuses on finding hope within the pain.

I am no stranger to pain. As the years go by and chronic pain is a constant, I long for relief. This body often feels more like my enemy than my ally. Of all the difficulties and trials that I’ve faced, physical pain is often the most relentless and debilitating.

I’ll be the first to admit that physical pain can quickly bring us to the end of ourselves. At first, we may persevere with the hope and confidence that answers and healing are just around the corner, just waiting to resume life as normal. But when they aren’t, and we watch the life, abilities, and enjoyments we once had fade into the distance, disappointment, grief, despair, hopelessness, and bitterness can quickly seep into our veins. The questions are often not far behind: what did I do to deserve this? What purpose is there in a life consumed by pain? Is God punishing me for something? What hope do I have if this is the rest of my life?

There are certainly no simple answers or quick fixes, but over time, I’ve learned that there is hope to be found even in this place.

One true remedy

If you’ve dealt with any form of chronic pain or illness for very long, I’m sure you could share countless experiences of those who have shared dos and don’ts, treatments options, or bullet-proof solutions that healed their Uncle Bob or friend Judy. Although most people have good intentions, without fail those comments always come across as “you just haven’t done enough,” or “if you just do what I did, things will improve.” While we do need to be open and teachable to the wisdom and experiences of others, these solutions are never a guarantee and they always fall short of true comfort. There is only One who knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and how to provide it—God himself.

We can and should seek help when and where possible, but our hope can’t be in a doctor or treatment—because they’re never a guarantee. Our hope can’t be in “better days” ahead of us— because that may or may not come in our lifetime. And our hope can’t be in our own strength, resources, or wisdom—because we’re limited in our understanding and abilities.

But there is a remedy that never fails.

We can bring our pain to the One who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. And if he created us, certainly he wants what’s best for us.

Clay pots

It helps me to think of it this way: in the Bible, God is described as the Potter and we as the clay. The Bible tells us that God carefully and lovingly creates and shapes each of us into form, with unique looks, talents, personalities, and purposes. Whether we know it or not, we all belong to him, the Potter. But after God created the world and us, we rejected him and rebelled against his good plan for us. Since that day, the cracks of sin, pain, suffering, and weakness have entered our lives. We try to mend those cracks with anything we can find, but the defect still remains. 

I’ve experienced the cracks made by my sinful choices, but I’ve also felt the painful cracks of illness and suffering of various kinds, simply from living in this sinful world. I can try to ignore that the cracks are there, or do what I can to fix them, but the reality is that I’m the pot—I simply can’t fix myself. Instead, I need to humble myself, admit that I’m broken and cracked, and return to God, my Potter, to be restored as he intended me to be.

As painful and frustrating (perhaps even debilitating) as these cracks may be, we are not hopeless because we still have access to the One who created us and wants to heal us. That doesn’t mean he will remove the crack of pain in this life, but when we’re restored back to the Potter, he promises full healing will one day come. In the meantime, he also assures us that those cracks won’t be wasted and pointless.

There’s a man in the Bible named Paul, who experienced countless forms of pain. Even after all of his suffering, he confidently wrote, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9)

Centuries ago, people would use clay pots for many daily purposes, but when a pot would break, they wouldn’t throw it away as we might. Strangely enough, they’d use it to hold their most treasured possessions. That way, if thieves broke in, they’d likely ignore the broken and seemingly useless pot, missing the treasure it held inside.

What we see as irreversible weakness and pain, and cracks that render us purposeless, God sees as an opportunity to fill us with his power and strength to shine through those cracks. He gives us not just the privilege of having Jesus’ strength in us, but the treasure of his presence to shine through us to others.

Practical care in our pain

There are days when even though I believe God loves me and will not waste this pain in my life, the pain screams louder. I admit, there have even been days when life felt too bleak to go on.

But in these moments, I’ve also seen how practical and close God is to me. He doesn’t tell me to toughen up and deal with it; he meets me in practical ways that show he cares about my pain—giving me what I need to endure it.

There have been seasons when I felt beaten down and discouraged, only to have someone show up at my door, unannounced, with a lavish dinner that made us feel spoiled. At a time when I felt isolated and convinced no one could see my pain, a friend called just to say they were thinking of me and asked if they could visit to see how I was. And there have even been times when I felt crippled by pain, unsure of how I was going to fulfill a commitment, but then was miraculously pain free for the exact amount of time I needed to accomplish it—with the pain returning shortly after. Then again, at other times, I’ve still felt the pain, but somehow had the strength to endure it—a strength that was beyond myself.

There’s no sugarcoating how life-altering chronic pain can be. And we should always use whatever means God gives us to improve our situation. But whether we find physical relief or not, this truth and hope about God’s compassion and provision remains the same.

We may have cracks running through our lives—even some that threaten to break us completely. But these cracks are not meant to destroy us and render us useless. Rather, they are meant to lead us to the One who created us and is the only One who can fully heal, restore, and provide for what we need.

Your painful cracks don’t have to have the last word. Bring them to the Potter. For that’s where you will find healing for eternity, and strength and rest for today.

Tears and Tossings is available now, published by 10ofthose. Sarah’s other books are Hope When it Hurts and Together Through the Storms.

An eternal perspective

Photo by Edu Carvalho, from Pexels

These reflections on having an eternal perspective are based on 2 Corinthians 4:7–18.

‘Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.’ (v16)

This extract from 2 Corinthians reminds us of the frailty of our bodies (they are referred to as ‘jars of clay’). I think we can place too much emphasis on our physical bodies. The fact is, each day we are getting older and our bodies are decaying as they age. That is part of the fallen nature of our world and yet, sadly, our society doesn’t value older women. The marketing we see all around us tends to set up young, beautiful women as the ideal.

A DIFFERENT SET OF VALUES

The underlying message is that we should try to make ourselves look as young and beautiful as possible – outer beauty is what it is all about. But that simply isn’t the truth and this passage reminds us that we have a different set of values to live by. In a society that bombards us with the opposite, I think we really need to be reminded of this eternal perspective. We also have a promise to hold on to: ‘our citizenship is in heaven… the Lord Jesus Christ… will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body’ (Philippians 3:20–21).

ULTIMATE HOPE

Paul describes the trials and sufferings that he endured – but defiantly states: ‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed’ (vv8–9). He isn’t shying away from the reality, but he is stating where his ultimate hope is: ‘For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all’ (v17). Is that how we view our difficulties? Do we think in terms of eternity? Is our sense of self reflecting our eternal inheritance, or simply our immediate circumstances?

Prayer: Lord I thank You for this reminder that, while my physical body may be fragile, I have an eternal hope in You. Amen.

In good company

Happy New Year! I have taken a break over Christmas and New Year from work – if I’d realised we were actually at the last of our reflections on hope I may have squeezed it in before the end of 2019 😉 Never mind – it’s good to start 2020 reminding ourselves of where our hope lies.

Reflections based on Hebrews 11:1–12; 32–40.

‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’ (v.1)

This is the famous passage about faith, but take a look at the first verse – shown above. Hope is an integral part of our faith as Christians. Indeed Romans 4:18 makes this connection between the faith and hope that one of the characters in our passage had: ‘Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”’

As I said in a previous post, John Piper described hope as ‘faith in the future tense’. And what is so notable about all the people commended in this passage, of which we are told there are so many that not all are named, is that they never entered into the fullness of everything they had been promised during their lifetime. We are told they welcomed it from a distance, so they had a glimpse of it but never actually lived in it. Wow – I’m not sure I would have been so faithful (although I can think of some modern-day heroes close to my heart that inspire me by holding firmly on to their faith even when they don’t see what they are hoping for).

Take a look at verses 32–39 again and look at the huge trials those mentioned in Hebrews 11 had to face: battles, torture, ridicule, flogging, chains, prison, persecution. It makes for sobering reading doesn’t it? Those ‘giants’ of faith really did face severe testing and struggles. Often exercising faith means hanging on to the hope of our future glory in the midst of our own struggles. But we can be reassured that, as we do so, our walk with God is maturing.

Aren’t God’s plans incomprehensible and above our own? Just reflect on what the final verses reveal – that those we read about can only be made perfect with us. It is when we are all together with Him that we can fully enter into the glorious hope made possible through our Saviour. What a mind-blowing truth!

For prayer and reflection: Ask God to fire up your hope afresh as you read about these heroes of faith one more time. Allow their example to motivate you to carry on in your own walk of faith this year.

Renewing our strength

Reflections based on Isaiah 40:10–31.

The last line of this passage describes a deep, inner strength, one that I have experienced even in the midst of draining times. We joined the church that my husband is now pastor of when it was first ‘planted’ from another church. There was just a tiny handful of us, so everything that needed doing was down to us. Staying within the leadership has meant that has continued to a certain degree – many other willing hands have joined but life can still be fraught. I certainly don’t always feel like I am soaring, but I notice such a difference when I bring all my everyday tasks before God and ask Him for inspiration, strength and concentration. 

I love this chapter from Isaiah as it seems to encompass so much of what we’ve looked at during our study of hope: God’s total sovereignty and power but also His deep care for us. While we may not understand everything He does, by placing our hope in Him we can indeed be renewed in our spirits.

Spend some time hidden away with Him today, allowing Him to minister to those areas you are beginning to feel weary in. And, as we enter the joyous season of Christmas, I recognise that for many it can be stressful and over busy, and for others painfully difficult. So may I leave you with a quote from our passage to dwell on. I love the image of His tender care:

He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart.

Optional further reading: Psalm 62; Proverbs 23:17–18 and 24:14–20.

Wearing the hope of salvation

Reflections based on 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 and Ephesians 6:10–18.

‘since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

I know the armour of God passage in Ephesians really well. I’ve done studies on it, and I make a huge effort to put on the armour of God each day so that I am equipped for the battle of life as a Christian – and I encourage others to do the same.

But, when I first started researching instances of hope in the Bible for this series, I was really struck by the Thessalonians passage. I don’t think I’d ever noticed the imagery used before: faith and love being the breastplate, and the hope of salvation our helmet. It really brought the armour to life for me in a new way.

The breastplate is called the breastplate of righteousness in the Ephesians passage. The plate covers our hearts, protecting what is the seat of our emotions, our sense of self-worth, trust etc. Faith and love being the ingredients that make up that breastplate makes so much sense!

The helmet of salvation protects our head – our mind – from the seeds of doubt that the enemy wants to place in it. He wants us to doubt our salvation as it makes us so ineffective. Putting on the helmet of the hope of salvation speaks to me of actively ensuring our hope is in the right place,. By putting it on we are reminding ourselves of the fact that we have a future hope in the saving work of Jesus Christ. 

Both these passages talk about the need to be alert and active. None of us know when Jesus will return and we need to live with an attitude of expectation. Wearing the armour, including the helmet of hope, is so important. As is being self-controlled and supportive of one another.

For prayer and reflection: Reflect on 1 Corinthians 13 and Colossians 1:5. I love this quote from Mick Brooks: ‘Love may be the greatest quality we can possess, but both love and faith depend upon hope’.

Hoping in the wrong things

Reflections based on Psalm 37:1–11 and 1 Timothy 6:17.

‘Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God…’ (1 Timothy 6:17)

If we are honest with ourselves, it is so easy to take our eyes off of God and focus on our circumstances, surroundings, peers etc. We can also spend ourselves going after a promotion / new job, a better car or holiday – even starting a family. None of those things are wrong in themselves, but if we put all our energies into them we also inevitably start putting our hope in them too. And that’s when it is easy to get our hopes dashed.

If we are overlooked in our career and see those that we believe are much less deserving take what we feel was our rightful place, then we can become bitter. Like Israel, we can easily forget what God has done for us, and compare ourselves to our ‘enemies’, feeling they are better off than us. But really it all boils down to who are we going to trust. Where does our hope lie? In our career, home, family, leisure activities?

The writer of Psalm 119 shows us where we should be putting our hope: ‘I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.’ (v147) How often do we turn to the Bible for inspiration and guidance when our hopes are disappointed? Is it our natural response – or the last port of call when desperation comes knocking? 

I love the reminder in Psalm 37 that, if we commit to trusting in God, we do not need to fear for our future, even when evil seems to flourish. We can take hold of the promise that we will inherit the land. We need to learn to keep our hope focused God and what He says rather than material things or earthly relationships.

For prayer and reflection: Think about anything you know you have put your hope in over and above God. Now pray and repent of doing that, asking God to help you to trust only in Him.

God’s last word

Reflections on Job 40:1–14; 42:1–6.

In Job 13:15 Job says, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.’ In our passages today Job gets the chance to defend himself to God. This was something he had been longing for throughout his discourse with his friends. He was probably hoping for total vindication by God, in order to show his friends how wrong they had been! But, when God gives him the chance to speak, Job realises he no longer needs to.

In chapter 38 God finally appears and starts by saying ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?’ (v.4). He goes on to reveal His sovereignty through so many things that we do not understand. All the mysteries of nature have Him at their helm.

Once he has spoken, Job’s questions, complaints and demands melt away. Yes, what happened to Job seems totally unfair to our human eyes. But God, by His very nature, is just and fair and so whatever He decides to do, or allow, is fair – however hard that is for us to understand. Remember what we talked about in an earlier reflection? Do we lay down our rights to understand – even when we are hugely disappointed by what is going on around us or to us?

For Job, it was learning the certainty of the character and sovereignty of God that led him to the conclusion that, however inexplicable the circumstances, he could still trust and hope in Him. That, I believe, is the lesson of this book, of this character, for us today. That God wants us to hope in Him not because of what He can do for us, but simply because of who He is.

For prayer and reflection: Father I am sorry that I can view you like a slot machine – I put in my prayer and expect You to produce the answer
I want. I acknowledge You are sovereign, and do not work in ways that I am going to understand always. 

I will yet praise Him

Reflections based on Psalm 25:1–7; 33:18–22.

‘Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.’ (Ps. 25:5)

I love the psalms. Their passion – and their total honesty. They reveal the struggles the authors had with their personal circumstances and how, at times, they literally had to talk to their souls: ‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? … Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.’ (Ps.43:5).

I find refreshment when I turn to the psalms, because they give me hope. Even when I am feeling surrounded or simply low, there is usually a psalm that articulates how I am feeling. But it doesn’t allow me to wallow, as it usually then turns my thoughts to God. 

Have you ever noticed how many times the word ‘hope’ appears in the psalms? It occurs 38 times in Psalm 119 alone! The key to the effectiveness of the psalms is, I believe, the way they are honest but don’t stay there. They turn their gaze heavenwards and allow the truth to bring fresh hope.

If you have never written your own psalm, why not try writing one today? Bring your troubles to God, but also remember to speak His truths and declare ‘I will yet praise Him’.

Optional further reading: Psalm 42, Psalm 119, Psalm 146.

Finding hope through worship

Reflections based on Psalm 57.

Having had a break for half term, we are back to our study on hope. Scholars agree that this psalm was written during the same period as the one we looked at two weeks ago (Psalm 142). But here David seems to be more determined. Yes, he is still in the same situation of men pursuing him for his very life, and also unsure of whether any of his own are set to betray him (see v.4). However, right from the first verse David is declaring that his soul finds refuge in God alone. This sentiment appears numerous times throughout the psalms. For example, Psalm 119:114 says ‘You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.’

Throughout Psalm 57 we see a juxtaposition between the situation that David finds himself in and the truth about who God is. David is declaring who he has faith in, and where his hope lies, while being realistic about what is going on in his life. He also speaks to his soul, telling it to ‘awake’ and goes on to worship God in the final three verses.

This psalm talks to me about the importance of worship even in the midst of trials. I think that is one of the lessons that David learned while in the cave, and I also think it is one that God wants us all to learn through our own personal ‘caves’.

How do we come through difficulties still clinging to the hope we have in Him? By learning to set our hearts and minds to worship Him, even when it may be the last thing we ‘feel’ like doing. From a perspective of worship, our surroundings and circumstances can seem very different. David went on to be the greatest king of Israel and yet he had to learn this lesson – so must we. Believe me, I understand how painful praising through the pain can be, and yet I am totally convinced of how vital it is.

For prayer and reflection: God help me to quickly learn the benefits of worshipping you even when I may not feel like it. You are worthy, whatever I am going through, and I am sorry that I can forget that when I am feeling overwhelmed.

A prayer of hope

Reflections based on 1 Samuel 2:1–21.

What a prayer! Hannah has just left her son with Eli, giving him back to God as she promised she would. How hard that must have been, and yet she goes away with her heart overflowing with the goodness of God. She knows she can trust Him not only with her own future, but with her son’s very life. This prayer is full of hope for all of us. It offers truths about who God is and what He does: ‘those who stumbled are armed with strength’, ‘those who were hungry are hungry no more’, ‘he… lifts the needy from the ash heap’.

Later in the passage we see Hannah’s hope bearing fruit once more. Juxtaposed against the sin that Eli’s sons were committing, we are told that ‘Samuel was ministering before the Lord’ (v.18). Hannah hadn’t had to give him up entirely – she got to visit him each year, no doubt watching him grow up to be the mighty man of God he became. But of course she had to return home without him, which must have been painful every time. However, God graciously blessed her with five other children. She couldn’t have expected that! 

Can you remember a time when you have had to wait patiently for something but then have seen how God’s timing was not only perfect but He also provided unexpected blessing too? I have seen God’s faithfulness time and time again in my own life. It doesn’t mean there aren’t hardships and frustrations – and I can’t say I like the waiting either! But I am beginning to understand that if we hope in God, He will fulfil all He has promised. Maybe not in the way we expect, but He knows best.

For prayer and reflection: Thank you God that you are totally trustworthy. I thank you for this reminder of how you do us good. Help me to remember these truths always.