As the little boy waits at the window for his mom and dad to pick him up, you assure him that it’s going to be okay. His mom and dad will be here soon, and you hope this is true.

Your director calls and the plans for this fall need to be changed again. She reassures you it will be okay, and you hope that this is true.

Your brother calls with news that the doctor’s results were not what he had hoped for. You reassure him that everything will be okay, and you hope that this is true.

Your conversation with a parent concerning their child’s struggles seems to leave them anxious. You assure them that as you work together for the child, it will be okay, and you hope this is true.

Today’s passage can easily be misused in a way that may make us think, “I’ve got God. This is going to be just fine.” However, you have all had situations in your life where things don’t always turn out just fine in an earthly sense. Accidents happen. Illness takes the lives of people we care about. Plans change. Children may have learning or social/emotional challenges that are with them throughout their lives.

God hasn’t left us when the outcome is not what we hoped for. He has not abandoned us to the challenges of life. He has promised to be with us, and he has made and kept the greatest promise –the promise of heaven to all who believe in him. All our daily struggles are hard, but none are more difficult than our struggle with sin. God removed our sin and our guilt when he sent Jesus. Since we know he loves us that much and since we know that our relationship with him is secure because of Jesus, we have comfort and encouragement to face all our challenges. We can be reassured, and we can reassure each other that God is there, walking alongside us. He walks with us through the challenges reminding us that he is there and that he can bring blessings from the most difficult of trials. And above all, he has promised us heaven. He assures us that while things may be hard, it will be okay because of what Jesus has done for us. Forgiveness is ours. God is with us. Heaven is assured. We don’t hope it is true. We know it is true—even when we cannot begin to make sense of the reason for the trials.