“So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, ‘Lord, your dear friend is very sick.’” (John 11:3 NLT)

In our next series of devotions, we’re going to talk about hope for people in difficult circumstances. And we’re going to start with hope for people who have lost loved ones.

What I’m going to share doesn’t come from an ivory tower of theory. It comes from the valley of the shadow of death, where I’ve personally found the hope promised to us in Scripture.

Psalm 119:11 4 says, “You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope” (NLT). Romans 15:4 says, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled” (NLT).

It’s been said that man can live forty days without food, three days without water, eight minutes without air, and about one second without hope. We all need hope in life to get through.

To have hope doesn’t mean that you have a smile permanently plastered on your face. Nor does it mean that you’ve had some kind of spiritual lobotomy so that you don’t feel what other people feel. Nor does it mean that you have a naive expectation that things will get better. The grim reality is that things can get worse.

Our hope is not in circumstances but in God. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (NLT). In other words, there will be an outcome, a completion in your life. God will tie up the loose ends—if not in this world, then in the next.

John 11 tells the story of people who had lost hope after the death of a loved one. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were siblings and friends of Jesus. When Lazarus got deathly ill, Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus: “Lord, your dear friend is very sick” (John 11:3 NLT).

We’ll be looking at lessons from this story in the next few devotions, but I want to start with the obvious one. Life involves pain, sorrow, and death. Some people try to convince themselves that they’re going to make it through life unscathed, without experiencing a major devastation or illness and without losing a loved one.

The Bible suggests otherwise. The apostle Peter wrote, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12 NLT). Don’t be surprised. It happens to everyone, and it’s going to happen to you.

Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33 NLT). Mortality will rear its head. It may start with the death of your grandparents. And then your parents. And so on. Through it all, though, you have hope—if your hope is in God. He promises Heaven, where there are no trials or sorrows.

Reflection question: What does hope in God look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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