When Life Hurts And Dreams Fade

By Yeshin Clemente

Hope. It is something as important to us as water is to a fish, as vital as electricity is to a light bulb, as essential as air is to a jumbo jet. Hope is that basic to life. We cannot stay on the road to anticipated dreams without it, at least not very far. Many have tried – none successfully. Without that needed spark of hope, we are doomed to a dark, grim existence.

How often the word “hopeless” appears in suicide notes. And even if it isn’t actually written, we can read it between the lines. Take away our hope, and our world is reduced to something between depression and despair. Webster defines hope: “Desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment".

The first good news Peter gives us is the knowledge that we are “chosen by God”. What a helpful reminder! We aren’t just thrown on this earth like dice tossed across a table. We are sovereignly and lovingly placed here for a purpose, having been chosen by God. His choosing us was according to His foreknowledge, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. These are powerful words!

God has given us a purpose for our existence, a reason to go on, even though that existence includes tough times. Living through suffering, we become sanctified – in other words, set apart for the glory of God. We gain perspective. We grow deeper. We grow up!   Can you imagine going through such times without Jesus Christ?

SIX REASONS WHY WE AS BELIEVERS CAN REJOICE THROUGH HARD TIMES AND EXPERIENCE HOPE BEYOND SUFFERING.

1.  WE HAVE A LIVING HOPE (1 Peter 1: 3).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To the unsaved, hope is nothing more than mental fantasy, like wishing upon the star. It’s the kind of Disneyland hope that says, “I sure hope I win the lottery”…. “I hope everything works out OK”. That’s not living hope. That’s wishful thinking.

But those who are “born again” in the Lord Jesus Christ have been promised a living hope through His resurrection from the dead.

So if you want to smile through your tears, if you want to rejoice through times of suffering, just keep reminding yourself that , as a Christian, what you’re going through isn’t the end of the story it’s simply the rough journey that leads to the right destination.

“Hope is like an anchor”, someone has once said. But the reality is “Our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life, but unlike an anchor, it does not hold us back”.

2.  WE HAVE A PERMANENT INHERITANCE (1 Peter 1: 3 – 4).

We also can rejoice through suffering because we have a Permanent inheritance – a secure home in heaven. And our place there is reserved under the safekeeping, under the constant, omnipotent surveillance of Almighty God. Nothing can destroy it, defile it, diminish it, or displace it. Is that not a great relief?

The living God will ultimately welcome you home to your permanent, reserved inheritance. Your name is on the door. I don’t know what does to you, but it sure gives me a reason to rejoice. The more difficult life gets on this earth, the better heaven seems.

3. WE HAVE A DIVINE PROTECTION (1 Peter 1:. 5).

Under heaven’s lock and key, we are protected by the most efficient security system available – the power of God. There is no way we will be lost in the process of suffering. No disorder, no disease, not even death itself can weaken or threaten God’s ultimate protection over our lives.

No matter what the calamity, no matter what the disappointment or depth of pain, no matter what kind of destruction occurs in our bodies at the time of death, our souls are divinely protected. “God stands between you and all that menaces your hope or threatens your eternal welfare”, James Moffatt wrote. “The protection here is entirely and directly the work of God.

Two words will help you cope when you run low on hope:  accept and trust. Accept the mystery of hardship, suffering, misfortune, or mistreatment. Don’t try to understand it or explain it. Accept it. Then, deliberately trust God to protect you by His power from this very moment to the dawning of eternity.

4. WE HAVE A DEVELOPING FAITH ( 1 Peter 1: 6 – 7).

Here is the first of several references in Peter’s letter to rejoicing. The words “even though” indicate that the joy is unconditional. It does not depend on the circumstances surrounding us. And don’t overlook the fact that this joy comes in spite of our suffering would have us believe. We don’t rejoice because times are hard; we rejoice in spite of the fact that they are hard.

These verses also reveal three significant things about trials.

First, trials are often necessary, proving the genuineness of our faith and at the same time teaching us humility. Trials reveal our own helplessness. They put us on our face before God. They make us realistic. Or, as someone has said, “Pain plants the flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel heart”. When rebels are smacked by reality, it’s amazing how quickly humility replaces rigidity.

Second, trials are distressing, teaching us compassion so that we never make light of another’s test or cruelly force others to smile while enduring it. Feel what that person is feeling. Walk quietly and compassionately in his or her shoes.

Third, trials come in various forms. The word “various” comes from an interesting Greek term, poikolos, which. “Variegated” or “many colored”. We also get the term “polka dot “from it. Trials come in a variety of forms and colors. They are different, just as we are different. Something that would hardly affect you might knock the slats out from under me and vice versa. But God offers special grace to match every shade of sorrow.

5. WE HAVE AN UNSEEN SAVIOR (1 Peter 1: 8).

Keep in mind that the context of this verse is suffering. He’s telling us that our Savior is standing alongside us in that furnace. He is there even though we can’t see Him. Believers today have never seen a physical manifestation of the Savior – we have not visibly seen Him walking among us – but we love Him nevertheless.

6. WE HAVE A GUARANTEED DELIVERANCE (1 Peter 1: 9)

It is about obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. How can we rejoice through our pain? How can we have hope beyond our suffering?

Because we have a living hope, we have a permanent inheritance, we have divine protection, we have developing faith, we have an unseen Savior, and we have a guaranteed deliverance. When we are suffering, only Christ’s perspective can replace our resentment with rejoicing.

Remember: True faith is never found alone it is accompanied by expectation. The world hopes for the best, but Jesus Christ offers the best hope.

May your day be a glorious day giving hope with joyful smiles that Jesus is the hope of Glory!