Reflection: At the final day of this series, it is vital to reiterate the basis of our hope. We have access to this ‘living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ Without this resurrection, our hope would be — like many around the world — temporary, uncertain, and unstable, based on external human and material sources. But with the knowledge that we have a new birth with Jesus, our hope is eternal, definite, and steady.
Among the most difficult questions posed by Christian refugee families from Iraq, who have been uprooted from their homes 3-4 times, are: “Where is God?” “Why would God allow us to lose all our belongings and our ancestors’ land to evil powers?” They are traumatised, exhausted, depressed — and rightfully so. But through undergoing our Bible-based, Healing the Wounds of Trauma program, these same families have experienced God’s goodness, mercy, provision, and promises. Their wounds are healed and their faith in the living Lord restored. Whether they return back to their homelands or transition to a new land, they do so with restored faith and hope.
Prayer: Our God, reveal your purposes to us so that we may never doubt your presence in our lives. While we may ask — like Jesus on the cross — why you have forsaken us, remind us of your living hope through his resurrection.