In the Word: Our Only Hope
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. It is our desire that this series will aid you in getting in the Bible for yourself and discovering the joy that comes from hearing from God through the pages of His Word.
“But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5
READ:
How do I do justice to the beauty of the cross? I cannot. Indeed, I will be worshiping Him for the way He has saved me from my sin for all eternity. There is a Savior! As Thomas Watson said, “Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”
This is sweet; these are the three words I have learned to describe what Jesus has done on the cross for me:
Penal: The just punishment that my sin deserved…
Substitutionary: was placed on Christ instead…
Atonement: allowing my relationship with God to be fully restored in eternal peace.
Christ took my sin so completely that His perfect obedience could be applied to me. J. D. Greear teaches, “In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more and nothing I have done that makes You love me less.” By Him I am forgiven, declared righteous (justified), and healed.
Anything I have in Christ is mine because it has been freely given to me—not based upon merit, but according to His grace: “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
How good to know the truth that justification is by His grace alone, for through that truth, I can be assured that it has not depended upon me: “But by His [God’s] doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Justification was not given based upon my goodness, but only because of Him and His goodness. Perfect Jesus took on sin so that He might attribute His righteousness to me: “He [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Scripture gives us hope that the unborn and infants who die in this life are taken to be with Jesus. I think about my daughter in that wonderful place! My stillborn child was a real, beautiful, human person designed by God. And she is is a real, beautiful, human person who was designed by God and is with God.
She who used to be with me and who is now in heaven gives me all the more impetus to believe that heaven is real. For heaven to house my child, it must be real just as she is real—for it is as though a part of me is there. Heaven has come into view like never before. This yearning for heaven is a beautiful gift that my child has given to me.
When I start thinking about heaven so intently, in turn, I understand all the more that Jesus Christ is my only hope. My yearning for heaven becomes paired with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is strong to save me from sin and wrath! Over time, this has led me to this peace: Heaven is good because it is where I will see my Savior face-to-face.
This brings peace because, I do not look to another human for hope or protection; I know my child can ultimately bring me neither. And it will help me see an eternal perspective, that losing my child has not defined me. The only One who is able to truly save, watch over, and protect me from deepest, eternal harm, Jesus Christ, is the single foundation of my hope.
REFLECT:
- How can a deeper understanding of our hope in Christ bring peace in the midst of loss?
- What does Romans 5:5 teach us about the hope we have been given?
JOURNAL:
Take some time to read Revelation 21 and reflect on the glorious truth that your precious baby is experiencing the wonders of heaven even now. Write a prayer to God thanking Him for His precious gift of eternity and the hope we have through His Son.
We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays we feature Hope Moms’ stories in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.
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