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How do we HOPE, if after praying for restored health, death arrives? Have you prayed and seen this outcome?

For the duration of my husband’s battle with metastatic cancer, we exercised our faith and were poised expectantly for the Lord to restore his health. But that wasn’t the healing God sent to Frank. Our Lord did it by shedding his mortal body which had increasingly tortured him here.

Innumerable faithful prayers covered him, over his entire battle! We recognized God was with us by His grace, and there was no absence of faith among those praying, yet God chose to take my beloved home. When he died, so many pieces of my life seemed to topple like domino’s. While my faith in Christ remained strong and prayer had always occupied an integral part of everyday, I had new questions about what good did it do after all?

I opened my Bible and I looked no further than Christ’s example when He sought to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing His betrayal by Judas, along with His suffering and death, were fast approaching. In agony, with sweat falling like drops of blood, three times he prayed,

“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
Mt. 26:42 (NIV)

I cannot imagine what it took for Christ to pray that way, knowing what was coming. If He had no choice in the matter there would be no cause for Him to pray but Heb. 12:1,2 tells us,

“who (Jesus) for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Heb. 12:1,2 (ESV)

Our reconciliation was Christ’s joy in obedience to His Father as He sacrificed Himself to offer us the invitation to have a loving, forgiven, relationship with Him now and forever. What love!

Christ’s choice is our reason to hope, as real and deeply as we grieve.

1. We hope because we are not alone in our grief. We have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ once He ascended to prepare a place for us.
2. We hope because of the glorious place called heaven, to which Christ ascended victorious for believers everywhere.

“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Rms 5:2 (ESV)

I wanted more time with my beloved husband. We had future plans and it took a toll on me, our family and friends to witness his suffering, decline and death. I believe Frank was ready and knew God would soon open heaven’s door to him. I don’t understand God’s answer but He doesn’t have to account to me and has a bigger picture plan than any I can see. I do trust God’s character. We have a good, good God, even when His answers are not what we wanted. Always and forever we have reason to HOPE. By way of the cross we have a pathway from this life with Christ into the next and provision for this day and every day to come.

“God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light. God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”
Colossians 1:11-13 (NCV)

Dear Lord, we trust in You because You chose us and provide for us. Open our hearts and direct our prayers. Infuse us with the HOPE Jesus made possible. In Jesus Name. Amen.