I cant think of anything of greater help to us than to cling onto God’s promise of an end to suffering during difficult times. Certainly mental illnesses can be among the hardest things for us to endure, whether we suffer from one ourselves, or it is a loved one. But again we realise that ultimately the solutions the Bible offers us speak to those of us who suffer mental illness and those who don’t alike. Hope is vital. We must be able to believe that as we spoke about yesterday, Jesus has good plans for us! In the middle of difficulty we must cling onto such promises as these:
God has a future for us
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes
(Jeremiah 29:11–14).
God is at work in us and will bring us to a glorious eternity
I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 1:6).
Heaven’s glory will make our present difficulties fade from our memory
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
(Romans 8:18)
Even in this world we can expect God to act and save us from our troubles
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you
(1 Peter 5:10).
There is a glorious day coming for the believer when all suffering will cease
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
(Revelation 21:1–5).
No wonder that Christians cling onto God during suffering and find strength in such glorious promises. But the glorious truth is also that God holds onto us. Even if we feel we have slipped he will pick us up. For many who are mentally ill their own will loses so much of its power that they may feel they failed to stay faithful when at their lowest. But God’s reply to that is:
If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. (2 Tim 2:13)
There is a song which beautifully portrays this glorious hope of a future which transforms our sorrows and inspires us to grow in our faith in the middle of difficulties. It is called “You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman. I close this post with the video of the song and encourage you to download this song in iTunes.
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