Hold on to hope even in tragedy

This past week has been devastating for many families and the city of Clovis.

Many have asked “why” due to this week’s tragic event. If you have questioned “why,” you are not alone. Even King David asked God “why.” In essence David said “Oh God ... where are you?” David pleaded with the Lord in Psalm 10: “Why, O Lord, do you stand afar off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

The reality is that God does not hide and neither does He orchestrate the bad times in our world. Evil does. Bad things happen and many times we are unable to control those bad things. People get hurt; people do unpredictable and horrendous acts. Remembering this past week the shock of fatalities and loss and carnage, we in Clovis must hold on to hope in Christ.

We can possess hope in the midst of very difficult and tragic circumstances. In Old Testament times, the Jews that were returned from captivity were still in essence prisoners, yet they were prisoners of hope and looked to that hope of Israel that had sustained them through some terrible times. Zechariah 9:12 reads: “Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” They were told to return, on their own power to Almighty God! Further, return must be by change and will. Is that a word for all of us?

The Christian is a prisoner of hope. We are captive in a world with sorry and tragedy and unexplainable events but the fact remains that a Christian is a “captive of hope” and that is a good thing.

So in the light of the events of this last week, we must understand that our only hope is Christ. We must remember the hope that comes from Christ even in the midst of: a wicked and depraved world; when events are so unfair and so unjust in this world; those times we feel that the world is worse than yesterday; those times we think we have “heard it all” and something even more terrible happens; an horrific incident that happens in our own hometown.

The truth is that the Christian has hope because a day is coming when all will be made right and Jesus Christ will reign supreme and evil will be banished forever. Scripture verifies that fact: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

The Bible tells us that the Christian has hope for what is the unexplainable in this life. Hope is a very intriguing word. It is intangible and the idea of hope is a concept. But the word hope is filled with promise. We can’t see hope and we cannot wrap hope is a box and deliver it to someone who is hurting. Yet we have hope because of Jesus Christ. Even if that is all we have, that is enough. And thanks be to God that we have it!

In this imperfect world, hope in Christ will keep us going. When bad times descend and evil just seems to multiply, the reason to keep going each day is due to hope in Jesus Christ.

The truth is that Christ is alive and interceding on our behalf to the Father in heaven for our very present. “Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Jesus gives us hope to deal with the bad memories of our past, and He gives us comfort for the present when terrible times assail us. In turn, we can comfort others with the hope of the Lord Jesus. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)

When we are a captive of hope in Christ, He gives us hope for the future, and that means an eternal home with the Savior. Paul wrote: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18.)

Remember you are not a prisoner of the bad times but a captive of hope in Christ Jesus.

Judy Brandon writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at: [email protected]