It was the kind of get well card one of Job’s “miserable comforters” might have sent. At best, it bordered on sick humor for a sick person, as it delivered its doleful message: “One day as I sat sad and lonely, a voice came to me and said, ‘Cheer up! Things could get worse.’ So I cheered up, and sure enough things got worse.”
It may be that those who care enough to send the very best would not select this card. But the truth is, sometimes life does go from bad to worse, and things just seem downright hopeless. Not only do plans fall apart, but life itself is fragile and shatters easily. It’s no wonder problem-plagued Job observed that man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble, and that life wilts away like a flower (Job 14).
Job was feeling so low that he even commented that trees have at least a more observable likelihood of future life than people do. After all, he reasoned, if a tree gets cut down, there’s a good chance it will sprout up anew, but “If a man dies, will he live again?”
Good question, Job. Glad you asked that.
What reasonable hope can we have of living after death, and doing so eternally? The Bible (1 Peter 1:3-9) speaks very encouragingly about this:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you . . .
But wait a minute! We’ve left something out that’s important. Take a look at those three dots (the ellipsis) at the end of the above quotation. Do you know what’s included in that space? Peter adds that before things get better, we can expect to suffer grief, and that life will bring all kinds of trials.
Life is not likely to be a piece of cake for any of us. At times it’s more bitter than sweet. But we have something to help us through the distasteful parts. We expect a better future, and hope for eternal life. We have faith, and faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Eternity is in our hope. Ever-lasting life awaits us. We are sure. We’re certain. We rejoice in our hope, and hope will not disappoint us.