When my kids draw me a picture, I know which one of them drew it. They don’t need to write their names on it. Their personalities come through in their drawings.
We can say something similar about God. The Creator is reflected in creation. Psalm 19:1 says, “The Heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The invisible, mysterious, glorious God can be glimpsed in nature. We can’t know everything about him, but as we love and cherish the things he loves, he can grow his heart in us and reveal himself to us.
One spring break in college, I went to a nature conservancy in Michigan. We were cutting back an invasive plant to help the native plants thrive. The staff told us that they periodically do controlled burns to keep the forest healthy. “Really?” I thought to myself. I was truly surprised. I grew up in the city with Smokey the Bear telling me I needed to prevent forest fires. I just assumed all forest fires were bad. But the truth is, forests need fires to thrive. In fact, some plants only release their seeds in the heat of fires.
The pandemic has generated a metaphorical fire. Besides the physical deaths, we’ve lost jobs, routines, school, social gatherings, etc. It’s easy to see the things we’ve lost. Hope is something we have to find. In Psalm 42:5, the Psalmist speaks to his own soul:
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.
As we’ve already seen, the world can change overnight. Thankfully, hope in God transcends circumstances. How do we find this hope? As the Psalmist says, through praising the Lord.
I praise him for his faithfulness throughout history. For delivering the Israelites from slavery and making salvation available to both Jews and Gentiles. For using flawed people throughout time to carry out his great message of love and redemption.
I praise him for his goodness in the present: for the Holy Spirit who teaches and reminds me of the things of God (John 14:26), for the colorful foods and flavors I can enjoy, for my friends and family, and for the many other good things I have.
I praise him for his promises in the Bible. I hope for the day Jesus returns and makes everything right. I find so much hope in this image in Revelation 22:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5, NIV)
I can praise him for what he has done, what is he doing and what he is going to do. I can praise him because he is a good and loving God who is always at work. It is because of his goodness that I can look forward to the things to come. I can hope that he will display his power and love and might in glorious ways.
We may be grieving the end of many things, but hope lies around the corner. In fact, our greatest hope has been birthed from death. Jesus’ death on the cross has made eternal life with God available to us.
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:17)
I think about the trees that only release their seeds in the heat of fire, and I can hope that God is using this unique situation to produce a good fruit in us—his beloved—perhaps a faith that can only be built in fire. I urge you to hold fast to the one who is making all things new.
Savina Steimlosk was born and raised in Hawaii, where she met and married her husband, Barry. They have lived in Washington for the past 10 years and have called LifeWay their home church for 6 years. They have two beautiful daughters, Elena (9) and Emily (7). Savina loves singing and dancing.