Look Again Hope is Still There
There have been times in my life I felt maybe I heard God wrong. Times when I felt my life didn’t look anything like He had promised me it would be. I’ve wondered how good could come out of my circumstances or how could things work out after so many things had gone wrong.
I’m sure that is kind of how Ephraim must have felt. God had made a covenant in which He promised to make Ephraim a large nation. (Genesis 48:19) Then one day, “The men from Gath, born in the land, killed them because they came to raid their cattle.” (I Chronicles 7:20) Just like that Ephraim’s sons were gone and so was any chance of God’s covenant being fulfilled or so it looked.
A scripture says Ephraim “mourned a long time.” I wonder if as hard as it was to grieve the loss of his children if the pain was worse from thinking that God had abandoned His promise to him and his family. But in time God would prove that He is always faithful and God has ways of working things out in ways that we can’t imagine.
The first thing God did was comfort Ephraims’s aching heart. He sent his relatives to visit him and pour into him in his time of loss. God looks upon his people with compassion and knows what we need in our moments of loss. Even when others can’t be there for us, we are never left without a comforter for the Holy Spirit lives within us.
God gave Ephraim another son who he named Beriah. Even though his name meant “in trouble”, God would bring good from his birth for God’s covenant would live on. Never count God out as having a way to bring His promises to pass.
Then God went above and beyond what He promised. Ephraim’s daughter Sheerah built a city in the Lower and Upper Beth-horron and Uzzen-sheer. This passage of scripture made me think of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi lost her sons but God gave her Ruth who proved to be more valuable to her than seven sons. (Ruth 4:15) Oh, how God values the work ethic of his daughters. He highlights them by giving them their special place in scripture in Proverbs 31.
Ephraim’s story gives us comfort when things look to be falling apart and there is no way things will work out for good. When all hope looks lost, look again. Never count God out. We serve the One whose storehouses are always full and nothing is impossible for Him to bring to pass in our lives.
Be encouraged today, friends. That situation in your life that looks hopeless may be that God is not finished yet. He still has plans to do YOU good and bring His promises to pass in your life. You did not hear Him wrong.
See you in the field,
Susan.
Susan Davidson
I am a country girl from a small town nestled in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. I love discovering something new in God's word, sipping on my favorite coffee and enjoying the simple things in life. And I love to write about all the everyday stuff in between. My hope is that the things I share on my page will encourage and inspire you to find God's purpose for your own everyday journey.
6 Comments
Angie Garrett
I love this website and your encouraging words! It feels good to read your honesty and transparency in a world where everyone acts like they have it “all together”. You inspire me to want to write and encourage others also. Keep it up Susan, you are making a difference!
Susan Davidson
Thank you so much for your comments and encouragement! They mean so much!
Susan
Sandy Brannan
What an encouraging piece! Thank you so much for this reminder.
Susan Davidson
I love sharing that we have incredible hope that can never be diminished or eliminated by the things of this world.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate you!
Susan
Deborah Rutherford
Susan, I love that God always has our best for us. Even when it looks hopeless, we can rest assured that He will take care of us. Thank you for this beautiful and encouraging reminder.
Susan Davidson
Yes, even when it looks and feels hopeless, we can rest assured in His faithfulness. He will take care of us. Thank you for your comments.
Susan