Persevering Through Affliction
“Bright Hope for Tomorrow” — Final Reflection
A Light in Dark Places
It isn’t coincidence that the topic of perseverance in the Christian faith through the many afflictions we face was put last. After all, the title of the book, Bright Hope for Tomorrow, gives the image of a light in a dark place. Usually, these dark places we live in as believers are filled with affliction. And the intent of the enemy through these afflictions is to force you to resign your commitment to Jesus. To make you feel like it isn’t possible to persevere, so you quit. However, God’s intent through these many afflictions brought on by the enemy is to use them to conform you increasingly into the image of Christ. He does this by purifying our hearts from a love of this temporal world and all its temporal pleasures, and instead cultivating in us a character that looks more and more like Jesus. And as this final chapter points out, what we need most in these moments of affliction is to remember the bright hope for tomorrow.
The Tragedy of Apostasy
There were many statements in this chapter that resonated with me (and I will mention a couple more), but this one was especially true for me:
“There was a time when I thought that ‘remaining faithful to the end’ was a lame goal. Then I saw one friend after another, one hero after another, fall prey to this or that temptation. Now this definition of conquering feels much more noble” (203).
Though I personally never thought that finishing the race of faith well was a lame goal. I would agree that over the years, I have been surprised by how many people have fallen victim to the afflictions of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Because of this, I have intentionally tried to set myself up to go the distance. I have found that too many of those who haven’t persevered grew weary in their sanctification. Some grew tired of struggling through a particular sin. Or they expected to be at a certain point in their careers, family, or ministry, but it didn’t happen when they hoped it would. Or they didn’t go into the Christian life with both eyes open and fixed on Christ. Whatever it was for them, I have tried to learn from those tragic situations. I have tried to not burn myself or others out. I have set up structures of accountability. And I have surrounded myself with life-giving people and have limited my time commitments to people who aren’t willing to grow or change. My life goal now, at nearly forty years old, is to persevere, not just in the Christian life, but in ministry as well. And hopefully, to help others do the same.
Not Surviving but Thriving
But to be honest, my prayer is not merely to survive the next several decades (Lord willing), but to thrive in the Christian life and in ministry. And again, to hopefully help others do the same. And that’s where some of these sections of the chapter were helpful. Because the author mentioned that God desires several things from us as we persevere through afflictions. He desires patience without grumbling, as well as joy and conquering.
Regarding patience, the idea here is to patiently wait for God’s righteous justice and vengeance to come in his timing. Often, we grow weary of waiting on God, and so, we take matters into our own hands—like Moses did when he murdered the Egyptian. But God’s justice will be far greater and more accurately measured to the injustice that was done. Therefore, we ought to wait for him and believe that it will come. Meanwhile, we ought to pray for those to receive grace.
Regarding grumbling, the idea here is that we often take out our frustrations on those who we love and who love us. When we have a bad day at work or school, we take it out on our kids or parents. When things aren’t going right at home, we take it out on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. But we ought not to grumble. Instead, we are to pray and speak graciously toward others. This will lead to a thriving Christian walk.
Regarding joy, this may be the most difficult of them all. Because joy in affliction seems to be an oxymoron. But in the gospel, we are called, by faith, to find joy in our relationship with Jesus, not in our circumstances. And when seen through the lens of afflictions on behalf of our faith, we can take joy in knowing that we are counted among God’s elect.
Regarding conquering, with so many forces working to move us off of Christ, continuing to abide in him and stand firm in our faith is to conquer these evil forces. And it is the return of Christ and our future hope with him that will give us the ability to do these things, even as we wait for that day.
I hope this book was an encouragement to you, giving you hope in this life and anticipation for the life to come.
