Life is hard, God is good (Part II of II)
By Chris Voss
Revelation 7:17 “…for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Tears are universal. Research reveals that the most common reason for crying is sadness, followed in rank by happiness, anger, sympathy, anxiety and fear. Some people say they never cry but we pity them more than envy them. Experts tell us that, chemically, tears resulting from sadness, anger, fear or joy, are different from those tears caused, for example, by smelling onions. There is speculation among scientists that the tears which we shed when we hurt or when we are in distress may be nature’s method of removing chemicals built up by stress from the body.
“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
“Tears,” says Charles L. Allen, “are not an indication of the lack of faith or a sign of weakness. Suffering develops our souls. It increases our capacity for God. Suffering purifies our faith.” Life is hard, but God is good.
John 14:1-3 (Jesus speaking), “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”
Christianity clearly says that a home in heaven is the ultimate answer to the problem of pain, whether the pain be physical, mental, or spiritual. Any solution that fails to put the joys of heaven over against the tears of earth cannot be called a Christian solution. To be thoroughly Christian is to believe that this world is not all there is, that a spiritual existence with God lies beyond this life. Life is hard, but God is good.
When life is difficult and our dreams and hearts get broken and our bodies fail us, Christians may grieve and struggle but not, according to the Apostle Paul, “like the rest of men who have no hope” (of heaven) (I Thess. 4:13).
Deuteronomy 31:8, The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
There is a story about a minister of many years who had suffered great physical disabilities the last few years of his life. As he lay dying on his hospital bed, a visitor leaned over his bed and asked, “How are you feeling, pastor?”
With a barely audible voice, the old minister replied, “I am almost well.” And then he died.
It is the comfort of God and the hope of heaven that enables a person to cope with the sorrows and sufferings of life. With Jesus as the Shepherd of our lives, nothing can happen to us that we cannot bear and endure.
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Chris Voss is a pastor at First Christian Church, 317 S. Main, Donna.