Last year I lost two dear friends within three months of each other. One passed away after a years-long battle with cancer, leaving behind his wife and four children. My other friend passed away suddenly in a tragic car accident, leaving behind his wife and two young children. Both were so devastating and it was really hard to navigate through the grief. I knew I had to look to the Lord to help me and sustain me.
The week before my second friend passed away I was doing a Bible study and it was on a particularly difficult part of Scripture. One of the things the author encouraged us to do was to remember that when we encounter hard passages to remember that God’s character doesn’t change. We start with the truth that God is good and then build our understanding of the passage on that foundation. I had to implement the same principle when my friends passed away. I had to remember that God is good—that was my foundation—and then I had to try to understand my hard circumstances in light of that truth.
I knew I had to put my hope in who He is, not what was going on around me. That’s not to say I didn’t need to grieve, I did, but my grief needed to be guided by His character. His Word tells me who He is, so I knew I needed to remember His Word and go to His Word often. It’s from His Word that I can find hope and comfort in any affliction I face.
There were many days, especially in the beginning, when I struggled to believe the truth of who God is. I knew His Word, I knew it was true, but I just struggled to believe. I felt like I was living in “I believe but help my unbelief.” I struggled to put my hope in Him and in His Word. In those moments, I had to turn to the Lord and ask Him to help me, to help me remember who He is, help me to hope in Him, and help me to find comfort in His Word.
I love how Psalm 119:49 says “in which you have made me hope.” Even when I struggle to put my hope in His Word, He is able to make me put my hope in His Word. He’s able to remind me of who He is, no matter what is going on around me.
The temptation for me is to go to other things to comfort me in my affliction—TV, social media, friends, and lots of other things. While those are not bad things, they won’t ultimately give me the comfort I really need. God and His Word are the things that bring me (and you) what we are really seeking after in times of trouble. It is Jesus who gives me hope; it is His Word that gives me hope.
