scripture and prayer reflection
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Lyrics
Light after darkness, gain after loss
Strength after weakness, crown after cross
Sweet after bitter, hope after fears
Home after wandering, praise after tears
Seeds after sowing, sun after rain
Sight after mystery, peace after pain
Joy after sorrow, calm after blast
Rest after weariness, sweet rest at last
Give me the hope for tomorrow, give me the strength for today
You are the promise of peace on my pathway to faith
Near after distant, gleam after gloom
Love after loneliness, life after tomb
After the agony, rapture of bliss
Glory awaits beyond the abyss
Give me the hope for tomorrow, give me the strength for today
You are the promise of peace on my pathway to faith
Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-13
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
Romans 5:3-5
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 8:18-19, 22
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God...22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Reflection
This song reflects on the hope anchored in the promise of a reality beyond our present circumstances. Regardless of what difficult or painful season we find ourselves in, we know that there is ultimately hope for the future.
The author of Hebrews describes the life of faith as a race to be run with endurance. I am not a runner and do not enjoy running, though I’ve tried. The “runner’s high” that so many people talk about seems to forever elude me. As a result, running never feels very good, and a great deal of the time it feels downright awful.
In such moments, endurance to continue on in spite of the discomfort of burning lungs and tired legs is necessary in order to complete the race. Paul writes that part of the hope we have in the midst of trials is that of redemption — that God does not waste our pain, but makes use of it to grow endurance in us. Though I hate running, I find that the more I run, the less awful it feels. It’s still never fun, but it is more possible if I’ve been training for it.
Paul also writes of how our present troubles are momentary, and pale in comparison with the rejoicing that awaits us in Heaven. Because of Christ, we can have this hope anchored in the fact that this life is not all that there is. And therein is the hope that this song reflects on — the promise of something completely different in the future. No matter what we are experiencing — be it fear, grief, weariness, loneliness — there is a brighter future ahead that is not just a PollyAnna-esque positivity or wishful thinking.
There is a real hope because we have a real God who has given real promises that He will really fulfill. In Christ we have an example of what it means to endure for the sake of the result — He who endured the cross surely understands the pain of suffering. In our own suffering, we have the Holy Spirit to comfort us, guide us, and intercede for us. When all seems lost, we are held by a God who redeems all things.
Take some time to reflect on what you are currently experiencing. What is uncomfortable, painful, upsetting, grieving? Present those things to God, and soak in His promise of redemption. How would Christ respond to your situation, if He were the one living it? If you are having a hard time knowing how to talk with God about all of what you’re experiencing, make use of the refrain of this song — ask God to give you hope for tomorrow and strength for today. Lean into the Holy Spirit’s intercession for you in groanings too deep for words.