Hope in His Promises

One of the greatest burdens for a pastor is how to bring hope and comfort to believers who are enduring great pain and suffering. We want a message that will cancel their doubt and fear. We want to give them the truth that will dry their tears of grief and put a song of hope on their lips. 

The Holy Spirit’s message for God’s people is very simple: “Go to my Word, and stand on my promises. Reject your doubtful feelings.” Hope is born out of God’s promises.

I once received a letter that contained a beautiful living illustration of this. It was from a mother who wrote, My sixteen-year-old daughter has a physical degeneration of her muscles, ligaments, and joints, and is in extreme pain twenty-four hours a day. She was a ballerina and looked forward to attending the Juilliard School in New York City. But her dreams were shattered when she was stricken with this disease. The doctor said that on a scale of 1 to 10, her pain is at 14. The amount of painkiller needed to be effective for her would destroy her kidneys, so she can’t take the medication.

In the face of everything, amid a relentless shaking of body and soul, this mother and her daughter testified that they put their hope in God’s Word, and he gave them unspeakable peace.

Beloved, has the enemy tried to tell you that God has bypassed you? Have you been tempted to conclude that the Lord isn’t with you? Have you almost given up your faith? Put your hope in the Lord’s Word to you: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV).

“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know your name will put their trust in you; for you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:9-10).