HOPE IN GOD

Good News: Faith and Hope in the Midst of Despair

I know many think that the CoVid plague is over but, it’s not. People are still getting sick with it and, even though it has become more like the flu, people are still dying and it still makes people cringe when they test positive. Besides the lingering of the disease itself, there are still many people who are spiritually sick over the 5 years we suffered so this page is dedicated to helping us find hope in God during the CoVid-19 virus pandemic. The human tendency at a time like this is to throw up our hands in a helpless act of despair and yell at God, “Where are you?” “Why is this happening to us?” “How can you let this go on?” “Why don’t you stop this scourge?” There is no doubt that this is not the first time we have asked God these questions – think 9/11. I think there is no doubt that this is not the first time God has heard this despair from us. This scourge that is still holding the whole planet hostage seems to have a firm hold on us, leaving us with very little hope of avoiding more sickness and despair.

That is the bad news and there is no doubt that life in God’s world cannot avoid trouble and suffering. But there is also GOOD NEWS! Very simply, it is this: God is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). This doesn’t eclipse the Good News of Jesus, sent by God to save us from the finality of death but these words of Jesus at His Ascension are the focus of the following articles. Their purpose is to lift us up, encourage us, strengthen us, and give us hope as we face this crisis. Please pass the link for this page (https://ladyfather.com/hope-in-god) to whomever may need God’s comfort and assurance of His promise to be with us always, no matter what. May God bless us all!

Are We Alone Here?

I think it goes without saying that most of us have asked this question more than once during our lives. That’s because our days seem to be filled with pain, suffering, grief, misfortunes, and just plain misery. Whenever one of these befalls us, we tend to immediately begin to rant and rave against God because those of us who believe in God think that he should not let things like that happen. We think that he should protect us from harm and loss and when we suffer those things, we blame God and cry out as Jesus did, “Why have you forsaken me?”

Do you ever feel this way? Forsaken? I think we all have and, while many think we shouldn’t, it’s part of the human condition to feel abandoned when life gets tough and just doesn’t seem to ever get better. So, the question is, how can we keep from feeling so alone when life feels so empty of everything but despair? Many of us have loved ones and friends to help us not to feel so alone but, most times, they cannot stop the cause(s) of our despair. They can be with us and comfort us, and I don’t know about you, but so many times I wish I could just reach out and touch God. If I could, I know I would not feel so alone, so abandoned by God who promised to never leave me.

Of course, there is a solution to this predicament. There is a way to feel the presence of God even when you feel like God has left the building! It’s one word and when I say it, you’re going to throw up your hands and say, “C’mon Susan! You can’t be serious!” But I am serious. And I didn’t say it is easy. In fact, it is not easy at all, but it is possible. However, it does take work on your part. Here it is – the one word – FAITH! Now, you might be thinking, “I didn’t know you could do Faith. I thought it was something you have and I have faith but it just doesn’t help.” And you’re right, just having faith isn’t enough – you must DO faith.

So let’s talk about faith, which is a close cousin to hope. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. So we are talking about having trust in God. Another definition is a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. These talk of faith as a noun – a thing. I’m talking about faith as a verb – something we do. Of course, the dictionary only includes faith as an archaic verb but having faith with “spiritual apprehension” is not archaic. It means believing in God with your spirit, which is very much alive. What that means is turning faith from a noun to an action word.

Here’s what it means to “do” faith.

• Read Scripture daily. This will increase your knowledge of God.
• Pray daily. This will strengthen your relationship with God.
• Practice what Jesus preached. “Love God and love each other.” This will bring God closer to you and help you feel his presence.

This is what I call “faithing” – doing the things of God. Reading his Word brings him alive; speaking with him makes him feel alive; and doing his will brings him to life in you and beside you. When you “faith” God, you cannot be alone because you are not alone and you will not feel alone because God will be with you.

The question now is: How does faith in God bring us hope in our despair? First, let’s look at the definition of hope. According to the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised. Faith is a complete trust or confidence in God. It seems that hope and faith are so close that we might actually be saying that our hope is an expectation that God will be faithful and our faith is trust that God will keep his promises; in other words, that God will give us hope. This is what I call “cousin words” – they are so closely related, they can sometimes mean the same thing or by doing them, we can do them both.

Where does this bring us in the despair of CoVid and other sicknesses? It puts us right at the feet of God or in the lap of God or wherever you would feel closest. If we “faith” God, if we do his will, we find hope and if we hope that God will fulfill his promise to always be with us, we are having faith. Either way, God is with us, beside us; therefore, we are not alone.