The certainty of hardships is probably my least favorite promise in the Bible. I don’t like going through difficult situations or suffering. I don’t think anyone does. Nevertheless, it is part of human life, and no one escapes it. Not even Jesus; He was a man of sorrows and well acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). And as His followers, we will also have our share of suffering in this broken world.
However, we have something the world does not have. We have hope.
This hope is precious because it helps us endure our trials, and it gives our life meaning. It isn’t wishful thinking that things may work out, but a confident expectation that things will work out (Romans 8:28). And it’s because of our hope that we do not lose heart and have confidence that we will see the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 27:13 NKJV).
As Desmond Tutu said, “hope is being able to see that there’s light despite all of the darkness.” I know sometimes life can get extremely dark to the point of despair. I had my dark moments in life when I dealt with depression and couldn’t see the light.
But through different means, God gave me the strength to persevere and the hope to believe things will get better. And here are five certainties from His Word that gives us hope and encouragement for our suffering.
God has a purpose for our trials
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
James 1:2-3
Our trials and suffering are not in vain; they serve a purpose. God uses them to test and develop our faith. Trials are like a refiner’s fire which removes all our impurities. When we endure it to the end, it proves that our faith is genuine and real (1 Peter 1:7). And without real faith, we have no real hope for this life or the next (Hebrews 11.1). Furthermore, our trials build our character to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 5:3-4). And being Christlike is our goal (Romans 8:29).
God will bring our trials to an end
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
1 Peter 1:6
Sometimes we think that things won’t get better. But regardless of the difficulty of our situation, it won’t last forever. Psalm 30:5 says, “weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Now the night might last longer than we wish, but the morning will always come. Even if our trials involve death, it won’t be permanent because Jesus gives us hope for a resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). One day He will make all things new, and there shall be no more sorrow nor tears (Revelation 21:4). And it’s our joy that will never end (Psalm 16:11).
God hears our prayers
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 3:12
God hears our prayers and is aware of our afflictions. His ears are not dull that He cannot hear us nor His arms too short that He cannot save us (Isaiah 59:1). We can have hope in knowing that God sees us in our suffering, is compassionate and merciful to deliver us when we call on Him (Psalm 34:17). Even if we don’t know how to pray, or our sorrow is too great for words, He hears the silent cries of our heart. His Spirit in us knows our weakness and intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26-27).
God comforts us in our pain
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
God doesn’t abandon us during difficult times. On the contrary, He is closest to us in our suffering. He draws near to the brokenhearted and the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Even in the darkest seasons of our life, we can always turn to Jesus and find the encouragement we need. He knows everything we are going through having gone through suffering Himself (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22:6-8). And because Jesus understands how we feel, He can empathize with us. He can heal us from our pain and bind up our wounds (Psalm 147:3).
God has overcome the world
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
You can have hope because God has already given you victory. All who believes in the name of Jesus overcomes the world (1 John 5:4-5). Your trials will not have the last word, nor will it be the end of you. Though you may be pressed and afflicted in every way, you won’t get crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8). Jesus will sustain you and keep you in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Even if it leads to death, you will still be victorious because Jesus has conquered the grave. There is nothing in this world that can defeat you if you are in Christ (Romans 8:37). One way or another, you will overcome your trials.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13
One of my favorite Hymn is “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” and I often listen to it when I feel discouraged. My favorite part of the hymn is “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow; blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.” It’s a beautiful picture of what God provides us in our difficult seasons; strength to endure (Isaiah 40:31) and hope He will deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:10).
Friend, if you are going through times of suffering, trust in God and put your hope in Him. Don’t give in to despair; His promises are true, and He will not disappoint.
I love this, Carey! I don’t know if you ever listen to Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth but she has said many times on her podcasts that “anything that brings you closer to God is a good thing” even if *we* see it as a trial. As you said, I’m so thankful for that blessed hope in God that no matter what we go through, He is there. 💕
Before blogging I sort of lived under a rock and I have only recently learned of prominent people in the evangelical world 🙈. I heard of this lady for the first time last week lol.
It is good indeed that God uses the storms on our lives to drive us to the solid rock. Thanks for reading!