It is the lament of the psalmist and the cry of Christ on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It takes little more than a bad news cycle, a chronic illness or the death of a loved one to feel the utter despair of a world broken by the powers of sin and death. It is in these moments of despair that we sometimes feel that God is, at best, far off, and at worst, completely absent. There are moments for each of us when doubt overcomes us, and it seems easiest just to give up hope.
Paul exhorts us, even in our struggles, to cling to hope. He reminds us that the sufferings of this world are only temporary in the face of a God who is eternal.
The everlasting love of God binds up our broken hearts and sustains our wearied spirits, because God is before all and after all; in all and through all. For God is renewing us, even in times of struggle.
This message is an excerpt from “Renewal of Hope,” a free, downloadable “All Anew” devotional by the Rev. Melissa Bills.
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