Hope

As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, we long for the day when life will return to normal. We pray constantly that the crisis will end soon. Our daily routines, our schedules and plans are all disrupted, and we cannot plan too far ahead. We hope that a vaccine will be successfully developed soon. We hope that this crisis will be over.

I was recently reminded of an old saying. It’s very appropriate during these times.

We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

As Christians, we put our trust in Jesus. Our confidence is not in the world, but in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We have the Holy Spirit as a down payment of our inheritance (Eph. 1: 11 – 14).

Our hope is in Christ. This is not wishful thinking but a guaranteed promise that God has given us. It is not the world that guarantees this inheritance, but our Sovereign and Almighty God. Worldly warranties tend to expire, and they are not reliable despite their claims. Just look at the securities of the world – the stock market, our comforts and securities are under huge threats.

The hope we have in Christ is a guarantee is from God. Our confidence is in the surety of the hope we have in Christ. Nothing in this world can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:38).

‘God on our side’ does not mean that we go through the COVID-19 crisis without any problems. Our lives and livelihoods are at risk. There is fear and anxiety. Yet, we must not lose sight that our hope is in Christ.

Rom. 5:1ff reminds us that we have received God’s grace and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Furthermore, it reminds us that we also rejoice in our afflictions (not because we’re sadistic or insensitive to sufferings), but:

³ And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. ⁵ This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5

The COVID-19 pandemic will end. We pray that this may be soon. It is a metaphoric storm in our lives, just like the storm in Mark 4:35ff. Just like the disciples, we are fearful of the storm. But there is no storm that is beyond the control of Jesus. He will calm the storm.

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

The pandemic is temporal.  but our confidence is in the real hope we have in Jesus – it’s the promise of eternity with God. Our God reigns.

Author: Peter Chin

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Prayer of the Day

Loving and kind Father, we give you thanks for the technology that still enables churches to continue to meet together. Help us to continue to love and serve each other well, as Jesus loved and served us. Give us opportunities to share with many the reason for the hope that we have and may we shine like stars in a dark world. Amen.

 

A Living Hope

Hope is a powerful thing, it allows to know that there is something better on the way. In 1 Peter 1.3 the apostle tells Christians scattered throughout the world that we have ‘a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’. In these times of uncertainty, anxiety and fear to have this hope is of immense comfort and joy. We have a living hope because the one that we have put our trust in is alive – Jesus Christ our awesome Lord and Saviour.

We don’t believe in some dry, dead, boring irrelevant religious information – this is true hope and purpose, and it’s a living hope, a living purpose. Christian hope is the certainty that no matter what happens God will make everything OK.

And don’t we need to remember this truth at a time like this, as the world spirals out of control, as governments scrabble to contain the virus and manage the economy, as people lose jobs and are placed under immense stress and isolation, to have the hope that God will make everything OK, because of Christ resurrection is something we need to remember each day. So our in times like this is the same as it’s always been – Jesus Christ!

Author: Joshua Johnston

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Prayer of the Day

Our Great God,

We thank you for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you that it’s your eternal message of good news and salvation for all those who believe. At this time please help us to share this wonderful message of hope, life and love with the world around us. Give us the words and courage we need to share the reason for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Help us to be bold, passionate and courageous as we do this, taking every opportunity we have to tell others of this glorious message. Please bring many people to yourself at this time of crisis, that they might come to know the life that lasts forever in your son.

We ask this in Jesus’ name, our great Saviour, Amen.

Coping with Isolation

Humanity is designed by God to be with each other, united in community, in family, in friendship and love. The Bible says it’s not good for man to be alone. So how will we cope when circumstances force us to be apart and not see each other?
Here are 6 tips for coping with isolation in the coming weeks and months.

1. Remember, you are not on your own
As Christians we live by faith and not by sight, by God’s word and not bread alone. The Bible says that God will never leave us or abandon us (Hebrews 13.5) and the resurrected Jesus says “remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.20)
So we can always remind ourselves of this and spend time in prayer, talking to God who is always with us, reading his word and hearing the message about Christ who died for us.

2. Think about others
The Bible’s cure for loneliness is not to have people at our beck and call serving our every need, but to be servant hearted and selflessly there for others. We need to keep thinking about how we can serve others with an encouraging phone call or text, be praying for others and their needs, and remember to keep asking the simple but important question of “how are you?”
So don’t stop connecting with others even when you don’t really feel like it.

3. Find a new routine
Part of what is so disorienting and even distressing for many of us is that our normal routine has been completely abandoned. In place of our busy lives and many interactions we now have nothing.

It’s important to have a sense of routine and purpose, so thoughtfully consider mapping out what a day might look like, with set times to read the Bible and pray, contact others, do whatever physical exercise is possible, get things done around the house, as well as down time.

It’ll be tempting to spend the whole time bingeing ‘When Calls the Heart’ like JJ does, or ‘Nailed It’, like Mark, but incorporating variety into the routine will be better in the long term.

4. Use the Northmead resources page ‘Daily Courage’
Our website now has a page that will see new resources added daily to keep God’s word front and centre. There’ll be videos, articles, Bible studies and more to keep you growing as you feed on God’s living and active word. It’s easy to feel swamped by all the announcements, and become anxious looking at social media, so we need to take the time to listen and study what God has to say to us.
Soon there will also be resources and material for Kids and for Youth that might be helpful for your family.
You’ll also have less excuses now not to read that Christian book you were thinking about, or catch up on sermons you may have missed.

5. Live with hope
Being a Christian is in many ways about focusing on the future. We are people of hope, we serve God now while we wait for Christ to return and rescue us from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1.10). We can endure because we know that what we are going through does not compare to the glory of what will be revealed.

So we should always keep our hope of Christ’s return at the forefront of our minds, even in these difficult times. But we also know in the meantime God loves to give good gifts to his children, God loves to produce fruit in his church, God loves to grow people more and more into the likeness of his son. So we may not know the full details of what is coming, but we know there are blessings in store. And we can look forward to that day when we all get to gather together once more and see each other face to face.

6. Ask for help
Sometimes it’s hard to admit we’re struggling, we’re doing it tough, or we are just plain lonely. At this time we need to be humble enough to acknowledge to God and each other that we are struggling, and to reach out for help and friendship.

Author: Adrian Russell

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Prayer of the Day

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the health care system we have in Australia. Today we pray for all those who work in health and hospitals at this time. We ask that you protect all the doctors, nurses, allied health, social works, admin staff, cleaners, security and more in this time of anxiety, uncertainty and stress. Give them great wisdom and peace in crisis and supply them with what they need as they care for those who are unwell and vulnerable. Please we ask, look after their families and help their love ones know how to best support them as they face such a difficult situation. And help those who trust in you, to look to Jesus, the great physician of our souls and the anchor of our faith.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen