A hope that won’t disappoint...
We could fairly say that suffering is a word that sums up 2020. It’s not the only word that sums up the year, but it is certainly one of them. We have been stripped of so much. Some of the stripping has been immensely painful, and yet, some of it has served a good purpose, such as forcing us to re-evaluate our priorities and focus on what matters most.
We were confronted by our lack of control, which was both frightening and freeing. We were served circumstances we would never choose, which held both heartache and blessing. We learned we are stronger than we thought - or better said - we learned God’s Spirit in us is stronger than we ever imagined.
I know this has been true for my family and me. We undoubtedly struggled through stretches of this year but we also received invaluable gifts, such as time together that I’d never trade. We learned the value of gratitude - the ability to acknowledge that amidst the disappointments and difficult circumstances, there were still good things to be glad about and gifts for which to give thanks. We learned to fight off fear of the future by remembering God’s faithfulness in the past.
And though I’m sure none of us would seek out any of the suffering we’ve experienced, we do know, as believers, that our suffering doesn’t have the final say.
A passage that has very much been on my mind over the last several weeks is Romans 5:1-5, in which Paul writes about the peace and hope we can have in suffering. He writes:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
As many times as I’ve read and studied this well-known passage, I have to admit this is the first time the Holy Spirit has highlighted what Paul writes in verse 2 about the “grace in which we now stand” and how we “boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
The word "stand" in verse 2 is translated from the Greek histemi, and in this context it means "to continue, endure, or persist."
As we reflect on 2020, Paul’s words remind us that grace enabled us to endure. It empowered us to persist and continue on in circumstances we wish didn’t exist. And we can boast in the grace of God - that hasn’t failed us yet and won’t stop now - all for the glory of God.
Paul then encourages us to recognize how our suffering is never wasted, and if we allow it, leads us to a hope that does not disappoint.
This HOPE is not wishful thinking. This isn’t a “cross your fingers and crack open the door to 2021 carefully” kind of hope. This is an “unwavering confidence and full of assurance” kind of hope. It’s “because of Jesus” hope. It’s hope in nothing less than the grace of God.
The ESV Bible commentary frames it beautifully: “Believers in Christ have a way of living that is both sobering and satisfying. It is sobering that trusting in Christ brings sufferings. But it is satisfying that those sufferings produce endurance, which produces proven character, which produces a confident hope in God’s enduring and eternal care. God’s Spirit gives God’s love in abundance.”
One thing that has been meaningful for me at the close of this year has been reflecting on how I’ve witnessed Romans 5:1-5 work itself out in my life. Maybe you’ve done the same. How has suffering allowed you to know more of God’s long-suffering with you? How has this year invited you to seek the strength of God’s Spirit more earnestly? How have you seen suffering produce perseverance that has proven character that has provided HOPE in God’s grace to save you, sustain you, strengthen you, and sanctify you?
And when has this hope in Jesus ever put us to shame?
This is the work of God’s Spirit in us! When Paul wrote that all of this is “because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” he isn’t likening the love God gives us to the slow drip of a leaky faucet. It’s more like Niagara Falls. God is profusely pouring His love into our hearts – through His Spirit- because He longs for loving and intimate relationship with His children. We worship a God who is both omnipotent and intimate!
So as we approach 2021, can we throw open the door with great expectancy for everything God will generously continue to pour into our lives through the Holy Spirit - most wonderfully, His love? I think we can. Let’s do it together. I’m excited for what I believe God wants to do in us and for us - through the power of His Spirit - that we might continue to “boast in the hope of the glory of God” in year ahead, no matter what it holds, because we know Who holds us.