We Grieve Not As Those Who Have No Hope...
- Ann Abbott
- Feb 28, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 16
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope…” (I Thessalonians 4:13 NLT)
Recently, a painful tragedy and the loss of people who were dearly loved and respected, has deeply shaken many of us. It is in times of sorrow and grief (even if we do not understand the “why?!”), that we experience again how God’s strength and grace can and does sustain us. As followers of Jesus, we DO NOT need to “grieve as those who have no hope”, although we still will grieve in this fallen world. This is not our home, just a journey of life, until we reach our final home with Him!
In the Old Testament, we read of Job, a man “of complete integrity. He feared God, and stayed away from evil.” (Job 1:1 NLT) God allowed tragic events to happen in his life and much suffering, but not as a punishment. (We even see later in the book, how God rebuked the “friends” of Job, who insisted it was Job’s unconfessed sins that caused it all. Job 42:7-11) I am so struck by the verses, the cries of his heart, ‘I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!’ In all this, Job did not sin by blaming God.”
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We are now entering into a season of Lent, a time when we reflect on the journey and path of suffering Jesus lived and walked. It is also a time to reflect and examine our own hearts (see Psalms 26:2) so we can confess before God all the ways we have sinned against Him or others. It is the “kindness of the Lord that leads us to repentance…” (Rom. 2:4 NASB), and it is supreme love of God that brings us salvation (see John 3: 16-17). Jesus lived and died solely for the purpose of paying the ultimate price for the sin and evil of the world and showing us the way to the God the Father; for ALL who choose to receive His saving grace and forgiveness! Unlike His disciples and other followers at that time, who didn’t really understand His promise that He would rise again, we do KNOW the ending of that story. He did rise again, and as Job writes we can also say, “as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives..!” (Job. 19:25a)
To quote W. Phillip Keller from his book, His Way To Pray; A Devotional Study of Prayer, “We can learn to praise Him, in absolute sincerity and integrity even in the worst of times. We can discover the secret of honest prayer and praise that releases His power to change us amid any calamity…Ask God Himself for the calm courage and strength of will to focus your attention upon His own presence with you. Cultivate His intimate companionship. He is here to help, to heal, and make you whole…”
May we all learn and deepen that intimate love for and relationship with our Lord. May we hold fast to Him, even when life brings deep tragedy and sorrow!
He is with us, in every circumstance! Blessed be His Name!!
