Strength in the Sorrow: Romans 15:13

God’s Word is sufficient for our every need, even those that follow the heartbreaking loss of a child. In this series, Hope Moms share about the way God, through His life-giving Word, has provided them with the strength, comfort, encouragement, and hope they needed as they walk through the valley of loss and grief.
“My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word!” Psalm 119:28

For years, on my kitchen window, I had a box of cards with Bible verses on them that someone gave me as a wedding shower gift. Every day or so, I would flip to a new verse. The day after my son died, I flipped the card and it said.

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.”
Psalm 34:18 (NKJV)

The loss of my son taught me what it truly was to have a broken heart and I needed the reminder that the Lord was near me.

I left the card there for about six months as a reminder that the Lord was with me. And, I was a little afraid to change it because I was afraid the next one would have a verse that wouldn’t be relevant to my life. I really shouldn’t have worried because God’s Word is active and alive.

I finally, bravely flipped the card, feeling a little bit like Linus letting go of his security blanket. Reading the new verse, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and His absolute love and concern for me. The new card read,

“I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

I framed those two cards, and twenty-two years later, they still have a place in my kitchen.

Those two verses strengthened my soul and encouraged me, but another important verse became my Life Verse. My Life Verse is the Scripture I cling to. It is my battle cry for my life. It came in a card from a friend who later told me it really wasn’t significant for her—she just felt impressed to send it to me the day she wrote the card. Her quickly jotted verse became my lifeline.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13 (NIV)

May the God of hope…

That part of the verse struck me because it says God is a God of hope. His very name and being is hope. It is a fact. With God, we have hope. He is our hope.

Fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him…

When we trust the God of hope, we are filled with joy and peace. There is action on our part. We have to choose to trust Him. We have to be willing to trust the Lord even when we don’t have answers to the “whys,” and things aren’t going our way or how we envisioned them. It’s a daily, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute, act of choosing to trust the Lord. It may seem overwhelming but, when the outcome is joy and peace, it’s worth it!

So that you may overflow with hope…

When we choose to trust the Lord and are filled with joy and peace, we will overflow with hope. What’s better than having a hope-filled life? Having an overflowing life of hope.

I love to have a candle burning in my home, and regularly burn a candle on my kitchen counter. Not only do I love the smell of the candle, but in the evening, when the dishes are done and the kitchen lights are turned out, I love the sight of the flickering flame dancing—breaking the darkness. Better than the candle, I love having a fire going in the fireplace. Better than a fire in the fireplace, I love when we go into the woods, light a big pile of brush on fire, and sit around the fire pit watching the flames roar. I think of hope as the candle. It’s nice and comforting. But the bonfire has power and strength, and it catches and spreads because of the momentum of the flame. Overflowing hope is like a bonfire.

By the power of the Holy Spirit…

You may be thinking that you don’t have the strength or ability to trust the Lord after losing your child—but you do. As a Christ follower and child of God, you have the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will help you to trust the Lord.

We choose, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to trust the Lord, and then, we receive joy and peace and our hope overflows. Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. How about you?

Do you struggle to see the hope in your loss? Choose to trust the Lord.

Do you have trouble trusting the Lord? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. In Mark 9, the father who had heard Jesus could heal and help people brought his son to Him for healing. When Jesus said, “All things are possible for one who believes” the father replied, “I believe. Help my unbelief.” Like this father, we can say, “Lord, I’m having trouble trusting. Help me to trust You.”

God’s Word speaks to us. I’ve shared how a few verses were/are my lifelines in the midst of the storm. How about you? Is there a verse that encourages you?

Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope—with humor. She has three daughters, a son-in- law, and a granddaughter. Shelly lives in Texas with her husband, Jack, of 29 years and their two dogs.

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