Hope in Midst of Persecution

Hope in midst of persecution. There is hope of better things to come. “Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Mark 10:29-30

But our hope can’t be placed on gaining the things mentioned in Mark 10:29-30 unless we look at the whole list. Yep, right there in the middle of great blessings, is the promise of persecution. But our hope should not waver, because our eyes are set on eternity. And in the midst of persecutions, Jesus promises to be with us. In Romans 8:35 we are assured that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, “…Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Our hope is not in easy living, care free days, or hours of blessings here on earth. 

Our hope is in the presence of God in our lives – loving us, giving us grace, forgiving us, and promising us an eternal future with Him. With God “…all things are possible.” Mark 10:27. Our hope should not waver when life’s troubles wash over us. We should expect troubles and tribulations. But we hope in knowing that God will use all things for our good and that He will walk alongside us through it all.

Hope comes in small packages! Sometimes it’s a sunrise, a word, a song, or a new baby.