In Between But Never Alone

Romans 15:13 

May the God  of hope fill you with all joy and peace 

as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is a passage from a devotional I have been reading to Mary as we sit waiting for Heaven to come into view. It occurs to me that this also speaks to my son, Tanner, who was battling to choose recovery over addiction. All of us have tombs that we need to roll the stone away and step out of. I believe that Angela Thomas' words speak to each of us for our own circumstances.  The beauty of His promises is that not only is there life after death but through all of our storms He will be right by our side. It comforts me to know my Christ is only a whisper away.

From the book Choosing Joy by Angela Thomas

Today is the day in between. The day in between death and life. The day of holy breath-holding. One more day of anticipation. Waiting. Praying. Hoping.

Today is the day in between. Tomorrow is Easter, but we aren't there yet. Today we wait. All day I have thought about the disciples who followed Jesus. On Good Friday, their teacher died on a cross, he was placed in a tomb, and then a rock was rolled across all the hope they had ever known. I can only imagine the despair they must have felt.

Maybe that's what life feels like for you, too. Maybe you are in between. Maybe a rock has been rolled across the place that holds your hope and just maybe it feels like there is no way your hope will ever be revived. When they buried your hope, all your joy was taken with it.

If I could come and sit with you outside that rock, I would. It's so hard to be in between. In between the death of a dream and the rebirth of God's perfect plan. Waiting for what you cannot believe God is big enough to do. Grieving. Mourning what is lost. Weeping without hope. 

The truth of Easter is the reason you and I can wait in between. Jesus keeps His promises. He said He would rise the third day, and He did. He promised to give you a hope and a future, and He will.

This day, I pray that the God of hope, the God who rolled away the stone, the God who was victorious over death, the God who kept His promise--I pray that God will fill you with a new hope as you remember His promos. And may the new hope of remembering restore your joy in this season of in between. May God whisper His truth into your soul. . . .hope that will rise!

In Him,
Joyful
1-22-15