Hope in Our Brokenness

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (19^th June 2013)

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

God sees our tears and brokenness although at times it feels as if he has turned a blind eye to our cry for deliverance. There are many moments in life where we are just so jaded with the constant pain and afflictions that surround us. What hurts us most is the seemingly never-ending suffering and agony of a loved one. We pray for God to lift our loved ones out from the pit of darkness and despair but we see no rope being let down for rescue. We try our best to take control of the situation and work very hard to keep things together only to have them all fall apart at the end of the day. When trials come, they come as a flood.

For those of us who are well versed with the Biblical doctrine of God's sovereignty, we know in theory that we have so little control over our circumstances. Knowing that doctrine intellectually is what I would term as a distant and abstract understanding. It is only when the reality of it hits us would we then realize the magnitude of it. During the good times, we often have a subconscious attitude of self-sufficiency and we are very tempted to stay in control as we navigate through life. It takes that plunge down the ravine before we truly comprehend our limited influence over the unfolding of calamities in the whirlpool of our sorrows.

When we have almost plunged down to the bottom of that precarious ravine with only a faltering tree branch to cling on to, it is very tempting for us to just give up on God and let go. But that would be the most foolish thing to do. No matter what happens, we must never let go of our faith in God. For our God is not only sovereign but he is also loving. Because he loves us, we can seek refuge in his sovereignty and trust that he is in control of even the most hopeless situation.

In our hopelessness, he comforts us and gives us the strength we need to carry on. In our hopelessness, he assures us of the future hope that we share as those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. For nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. In his kindness, he has also provided us with the support of our family, friends as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are able to see a glimpse of God’s love and comfort through those kind actions and comforting words.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)