THE HOPE OF HEAVEN

I have a lot of hopes within me. I have hopes for my future family, hopes for our church, hopes for future personal adventures and even more near-sighted hopes for our worship this weekend at church. As human beings, we hope very naturally. Hope is looking forward to something with expectation and desire — something I think we all do regardless of our current experiences and surroundings. Some of us hope nervously, fearing what will happen if our hopes don't turn into a reality. Some of us hope confidently, looking forward to something we are sure will happen. And then, there are some of us that hope because we don't know what else is left to do. 

As I write this post, I am thinking of the many families of our church who have lost a dear loved one in the last few months. My heart aches for you, for I know the feeling of desperately trying to hear that person's voice in my memories just once more. The heart is raw and the questions are many. I have the privilege of helping these families at Beaverton Foursquare walk through the planning of a memorial service, while also being a source of prayer and comfort to them along the way; at the same time, I have the privilege of sharing and reliving my own story of losing my favorite and only little brother to the horrific blind spots of an SUV. 

So what happens, then, when hopes are crushed? What happens when our hope has seemingly betrayed us and the words we sing in worship seem to sting our hurting hearts?

What happens is this: 

We stand in God's grace. 

We persevere in our suffering. 

And we hope even further. 

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 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. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 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. — Romans 5:1-5 (emphasis added)

This scripture has been incredibly powerful for me, because it is my truth and guide in learning how to hope while acknowledging that we are all struggling to be those who persevere. The word "persevere" is a difficult one. It pushes us past our breaking points and takes us into victories we don't understand or never thought possible. It means we remain steadfast, firm and unwavering, come what may. In doing so our character is strengthened, and we are able to realize that standing on the Lord's grace and redemption is far greater than standing on our own, amidst our flood of questions and hurt. Standing on his grace gives us hope and peace that we will one day worship with those who have gone far too soon. 

As I worship with our church family on Sunday mornings, I see the families and individual stories of suffering all around the room choosing to worship. As I worship with them, I have visions of their loved ones and my own brother raising their hands high in worship to the King, the brightest of whites surrounding them in their new glory. And when I see this picture of a future hope, it makes me hope even harder. I know that my hope will not put me to shame in the end, because I stand in my future with Christ.

I encourage you today to remain steadfast in your faith. I urge you to stand firmer than you've ever stood, to persevere with the Lord's strength when yours runs out, and to hope even further than you knew possible. 

Because at the end of our hope, is Heaven. 

Thank you for reading, 

Jamie 
jrobison@b4church.org