"Mommy, Jesus said there will be no more tears, but why am I still crying?!" She wailed desperately in agony. I assured my 4-year-old daughter, Gracie, that Jesus’ promise was for when we get to see Him in heaven and that she can look forward to that day as we continue to pray and believe for healing.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…”
Revelation 21:4a (ESV)
Gracie has had severe eczema for most of her life and was battling a skin infection that covered her little body with open sores. It was immensely painful simply to sit or stand. For me, it was the closest thing to understanding leprosy.
For Gracie, HOPE looked like "no more tears". What about us? What does HOPE look like to us? Does HOPE dwell in our material possessions, experiences, or the people in our lives? These can give us a dose of happiness, but they can vanish as quickly as they come.
When I think of HOPE, two examples from the Bible come to mind:
1) Just then, a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Jesus turned around, and when He saw her, He said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” (Matthew 9:20-22a NLT)
2) But being full of the Holy Spirit, He gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55 NASB1995, describing Stephen as he was being executed after being falsely accused.)
Neither the woman’s nor Stephen’s circumstances shouted “HOPE.” Yet, they both knew that Jesus was the only reliable source of HOPE in their dire situations. When our world is crumbling, do we remember that our forever HOPE is already guaranteed when we accept Jesus' invitation to call Him our Lord and Savior? If you haven’t done so, this will be the best RSVP you’ll ever send! And He never breaks His promises:
“For the word of God will never fail.”
Luke 1:37 (NLT)
As we celebrate the birthday of Jesus, our eternal HOPE, may we maintain the faith that made the woman well and fix our gaze intently into heaven as Stephen did.
One can have all this world, but give me JESUS!
Susan Chen
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