His Strength Sustains Me

Psalm 144:1-2

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples under me.

In sorrow, grief, battles in life—God offers hope.

As I write this, I'm thinking about the people of the Ukraine who are truly in battle for their country, their homes, and their lives. Their horrific situation weighs on me. I have friends with family serving as missionaries there, and we pray for them and seek God's protection on their behalf.

Life for the last few years has been more than difficult, we've found our world turned upside down. My family has lost three loved ones in three months. With sorrow in our hearts, we mourn. Yet while we mourn, we know God has his hands wrapped around our hearts with His comfort and peace.

This week as I drove to my sister's home a song came on the radio. This is How I Fight my Battles by Chris Tomlin took me to a place I needed. The words reminded me that I'm surrounded by the God who loves me more than I understand. At that moment God's hope filled me, and his strength sustained me.

Romans 8:28 reminds me of the hope I have as a believer in Jesus. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." No matter what happens, God's love stays the same. He knows the outcome and sees what's next. Faith in God sees me through the heartache and brings me hope.

Pray with me for the people of the Ukraine and the folks who are hurting.

Grieve With Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 

As a believer, I grieve with hope.

About a month after I retired, we knew our lab-retriever wasn't long for this world. Tater's illness got worse every day. I had thought he'd be by my side as I sat in my chair and wrote stories and devotions. Because he enjoyed laying on the floor under the footrest, I had to be careful when I got up, or I'd bonk him on the head. As I watched him struggle to rise from the floor, realization sunk in that he'd go to doggie heaven (I’d like to think there is such a thing, but I have no proof) later that summer. I still miss my furry buddy.

When Tater passed away, I grieved. Yes, he was a dog but the sadness still overwhelmed me. When my dad, my grammy, my aunt, and my friends left this earth, I grieved. Grief is a natural part of life and the process looks different for everyone. I might cry, sit in silence, go through the motions of living, while someone else might go back to work or shut down.

Tim Peace, our associate minister, reminded us that if we have faith in Jesus, we grieve with hope.

Yes—it hurts, yes—we may get angry, yes—depression may set in, but even in our sorrow and sadness Jesus offers hope. At the end of 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul tells the people to encourage one another. Remind each other of the hope we have in Jesus so everyone will have the chance to claim the inheritance of heaven.

I believe in the hope of heaven and the hope of being reunited with my loved ones. Through faith, God offers the promise of heaven.

Look to Jesus for strength and peace.