Simple Promises of Hope from Christ in Grief
Simple Promises of Hope from Christ
Harold Senkbeil says that “n the dark valleys of life you don’t need platitudes. You need Jesus. In times of calamity we need the unvarnished truth. Tribulation will occur in this world. Jesus said so. But it’s also true that he has overcome the world.”
This hymn reminds us of that truth.
Jesus, Priceless Treasure
In Thine arms I rest me;
Toes who would molest me
Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking,
Every heart be quaking,
Jesus calms my fear;
Lightnings flash
And thunders crash;
Yet, though sin and hell assail me,
Jesus will not fail me.
Simple Faith
Again Senkbeil says that “what matters isn’t the amount of faith we have; it’s the object of our faith. The Lord in whom we trust is what matters. When we call out to him, even in fear or doubt, he’s there to hear and to save-though it’s true that his remedy may not match our expectations.”
In grief, our faith is low, our hope is low, our doubts are great. We must not trust our feelings of God’s separation from us, or the fact that our hope is resting upon our own faith but that our hope rests upon a great God who saves. “Our faith does not hinge on our feelings. It is rooted firmly in the promises of God.” Our faith will fluctuate, in suffering and grief it is not surprising to feel that we only have faith of a mustard seed, or that our love for God has grown cold, or burns with anger.
Simple Prayers
People will feel overwhelmed. They should not be asked to be able to ask strong prayers of God in their grief. Even a simple prayer like Ps. 119:94 - Jesus, I am yours; save me. This acknowledgment that we are owned by God and we need help. Assurance that God holds us fast but at the same time please come to my rescue because I am lost and overwhelmed.
Simple Hope in Jesus
Simple realities of what Jesus has done for us. Simple hope in Jesus that “Christ himself is with us in our misery, and his suffering sanctifies our pain. Because he was abandoned, we will never be.”
Psalm 139 says -
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Ps. 139:12 - When I am in darkness, darkness is as light to. If I go to the deepest darkness, he is with me. He sees me when I am awake and when I sleep, he hems me in, his thoughts are ever on me.
When God turned his face away from Christ on the Cross he turned his face towards us and promised that he would never abandon us in our darkness. God is patient with the bent reed, he does not expect powerful faith in the moment of loss, Jesus did not shame Martha when she asked him why he wasn’t there and how he could have saved Lazarus. He wept with her, and we should do the same with others.
I love this prayer from The Valley of Vision -
Love Lustres at Calvary:
Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,
cast off that I might be brought in,
trodden down as an enemy
that I might be welcomed as a friend,
surrendered to hell’s worst
that I might attain heaven’s best,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
athirst that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made a shame that I might inherit glory,
entered darkness that I might have eternal light.
Senkbeil, Harold, Christ and Calamity, x, 7, 17, 27
https://banneroftruth.org/us/devotional/love-lustres-at-calvary/
