Where there is no vision (hope), the people perish…Proverbs 29:18

Life has changed dramatically for us in the past month. We are enclosed in our homes, seeing ominous reports in the news, and wondering when and if life as we knew it will be restored. I know I have been more anxious than normal during this time, and fear has at times crept into my heart. Every day I combat my anxieties and fears with the word of God and this is what it teaches me:

Fear is a thief. It robs us of our joy of life. It sneaks in and steals our peace. Fear is the enemy of hope and not from God (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is a defeater of faith. We combat fear with truth, God’s truth, the word of God (John 17:17).

For instance:

The devils greatest lie, the one most broadly believed by people around the world, is that death is eternal. One of the basic beliefs of Christianity is eternal life (1 John 2:25), we have faith that when our physical life has ended, we enter into another, broader experience, known as Heaven (Revelation 11:12). There we know we will be with the Father and His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. We will experience the glory of celestial worship before the heavenly throne of God where supernatural beings of indescribable beauty singing praises, honor and glory to our God (Revelation 19:1).

This would be enough if that were all we had to look forward to, but we also have a blessed reunion coming, (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) with the saints who’ve passed on before us. Loved ones through the ages will be there to greet us and we shall know each other. Think of the joy of that moment, when we are restored to one another, under the gaze of our loving Heavenly Father.

I say all this to you at this time of chaos in our world, to encourage you to not allow fear to strip you of your hope for the future. While life can be a struggle, we have a “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13), the promise of God’s abiding presence in this lifetime (Exodus 33:14) and the assurance of life everlasting (John 3:16). We are in a win-win situation!

We know this trial will not last. Its’ days are numbered by the Lord. Throughout this time, let us encourage ourselves, strengthen our faith, and build a wall of hope as our defense.

Hebrews 12:1 – 3

Peace.

-DeVonna Allison