Crashing Waves; Eternal Hope

Life comes at us in waves.  Sometimes the waves bring the loss of a dear friend, finances in jeopardy, or an unwanted diagnosis.

People glibly tell you, God will not give you more than you can handle. 

This is false theology.

The Bible says that trials are coming and they are more than we can handle….alone, that is.   God is waiting for us to come to the end of ourselves and to reach out for help.

When I am overwhelmed by crashing waves, I think of the account of  Jesus calming the storm.

The text says,  “A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.”  Jesus’s disciples, seasoned boatsmen, were in full panic mode.  They yelled at Jesus, “Don’t you care if we drown?”

Then it says, “Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves “Quiet!  Be still!”  The wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?”

In the face of furious squalls, we need a savior who can rebuke waves.  The good news is that He just happens to be in the boat with us.

I follow a blog called Unshakeable Hope.  The author, Bill Sweeney, was diagnosed with ALS in 1996 at the age of 36.   He writes his posts letter by letter using eye movement to activate the keys on his computer.

The waves are breaking over his boat.  Yet he has hope – not the optimistic, superficial kind that says things will get better.  His hope is in the Most High God. It is eternal hope.

Last July Mr. Sweeney wrote a post called, Still Living in Hope. in which he describes the realities of his disease and the inspiration for his blog.  He urges readers to put their hope in that which is eternal, rather than that which is temporal.

Such hope, he says, cannot be shaken.

May we live out our days in such a hope.

 

“So many areas of our lives, including our health, can be shaken. But, if we look to God during our trials, our hope in Christ is one of the things that cannot be shaken.

Our hope in Christ is an Unshakable Hope!

“My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6)

Please don’t put your hope in temporary and created things, not even another person, because everything we see with our natural eyes will eventually disappoint us.”

Bill Sweeney, Unshakable Hope; Still Living in Hope

 

Click here to read verses on eternal hope, compiled by Bill Sweeney.

 

Featured image courtesy of:  https://www.goodnewsunlimited.com/jesus-calms-the-storm-%C2%AD-%C2%AD-by-ritchie-way/