Maybe you find yourself in a time of weeping, sadness, and hardship. “To everything there is a season: to be born, to die, to rejoice, to weep,” and this is one of those weeping, grieving times for you. “Life is like a box of chocolates” and this is one of the sucky flavors, “I hate this flavor.” What will you do? God has not left you alone to wander in the dark. In His love and grace, He gives us Himself, He gives us the Bible, He front-loads the instructions. There is hope.
If your sins are forgiven, if you are right with God, if you are reconciled to God, if God accepts you through Jesus, then you can say, “It is well with my soul.” Yes, this life will be hard and there will be weeping and times of trouble and grief, but there is hope. You have Christ and He has you. He will comfort you. He sends you His peace, His love, His joy. He sends you Himself, through His Spirit, to be with you and help you and lead you and guide you. He does not leave you alone, as an orphan. He will be with you always and never leave you nor give you up. You can rest in His presence. There is hope for you, in Christ, and this helps you get through the grief.
One of the last things Jesus said to his disciples was in John 16:33, “…in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus wins. You win, in Jesus. No weapon formed against you will prosper. Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. All creation groans but no one can condemn you or bring a charge against you. Knowing and remembering who Jesus is and who you are in Christ will help you through your grief. He changes our perspective on suffering. He warned you ahead of time, He is with you in your suffering, and your suffering is brief, compared to the eternity you will spend with Him. Paul said in Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
So James encourages us, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, or you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).” Peter teaches us, “You have a living hope and an eternal inheritance that will not fade. You can rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. May this result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-8).” Your suffering will end; thank you, Jesus. There is hope.