Death, Encouragement, Forgiveness, God's Promises, Grief, Hope, Love, Persecution, Planning, Prayer, Relationship to Christ, Repentance, Restoration, Salvation, Sin, Trust, Waiting

We Have Hope Despite Our Grief

As we wrap up our series on “Hope in Grief,” I think we need to understand what the “hope” is that we have been talking about. Our Bible Journaling Scriptures talk about a hope that is given to us.  “We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” (Romans 8:24-27 NLT)  In reading this, the thought came to me, “I wonder if everyone reading this will understand what the hope is we are talking about?” 

J. Vernon McGee, in his commentary on Romans, says, “ ’We are saved by hope’ speaks of the work of Christ for us on the cross and our faith in Him.” The Apostle Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome while in prison.  If anyone understood grief, it was Paul.  He was persecuted and put into prison for preaching about Jesus.  Paul says that when we were saved from our sins, God gave us hope.  It isn’t an “I hope so” kind of hope.  No, it is the assurance that God knows our circumstances and He understands and promises to walk with us through them…even the tough times!  It is also the assurance that for those who have asked Christ into their hearts, there is a future waiting where there will no longer be a reason to grieve.  It also is the assurance that God will walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death” with us and we can lean on Him when we can’t stand.  I love the imagery of God holding us up as we try to navigate through all the stages of grief. 

Our Scriptures also talk about how Holy Spirit helps us during times when we come to God in prayer and have no clue what to say.  I know about this personally.  At a time when I needed to pour out my heart in repentance for something I had done, I had no words.  All I could get out of my mouth was “Dear Jesus” and then I just broke down in uncontrollable weeping. Holy Spirit knew what was in my heart and relayed my heartfelt cry for forgiveness to my Savior. I was grieving my sin and needed Him to help me.  Grief doesn’t have to be about the loss of someone or a lost relationship, it can also be a heartfelt grief over our sin and the need for God’s forgiveness. There is hope in knowing that when we ask God for forgiveness, He promises to forgive us, and follows through, giving us a second chance to get it right.

Notice that the Scripture says that Holy Spirit is in harmony with God, the Father.  Everything He does is in line with the will of God.  He helps us in those times when we don’t know what to say.  When we are deep in grief over the loss of someone, loss of a relationship, or the loss of fellowship with God because of our sin, Holy Spirit steps in and helps us when we feel like we are in a dark pit and can’t find our way out.  “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14 ESV)  We can receive great comfort in knowing that God knows our very thoughts and hearts, and He gives us hope for a better future.

I trust this series on “Hope in Grief” has helped someone who is having difficulty navigating grief.  Sometimes, it can be overwhelming, but God wants you to know that you are not alone, He is walking right beside you.  Hold on to Him, look for the hope He has for you, and allow the work of Holy Spirit to help you through what you are grieving.  He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.  (Jeremiah 29:11)

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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