Life can be depressing; living can often be tormenting; yet we live on; thanks to the God of hope, Jesus Christ.
Times can be confusing when one is suffering; what must be the cause? Is it sin? Is it Satan? Is it a new virus? The answers are often not easy to find. Yet the small and still voice of the God of hope instills peace inside us.
Jacob had a very traumatic experience when his sons cheated him by telling him that his loving son Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.
He lost all hope and lamented for several years after that.
Later during the famine Joseph insisted that the brothers bring Benjamin to Egypt while Simeon was held back. When Jacob heard this, he said,
"You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me." (Genesis 42:36)
"My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow." (Genesis 42:38)
Jacob thought everything was lost for him, yet the God of hope did a great miracle in his life. 22 years after he had last seen his beloved son, Jacob was reunited with Joseph.
Times can be depressing, life can be tormenting; yet the God of hope doesn't forget us. He says,
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you......." (Isaiah 66:13)
May you abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your enlightening view on this particular verse in God's Word. I had never really noticed that verse before, and it may just make it onto my short list of "keepers"!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Mr. Woolf