In the wake of tragedy and tribulation, people are left feeling a profound sense of loss and hopelessness. Yet, Christians can point people to the greatest possible hope we have, Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we have many great and precious promises that bring comfort to the weak and trembling, promises that will cause us to focus not on the immediate pain but on the One who is sovereign over it all. Christians should take the hurting to the word of God and show them how Christ has promised to judge the wicked, to forgive the repentant, to comfort the hurting through trials He has purposed, and to provide eternal rest and peace to those in Him. In each of these precious promises, the power and glory of God is put on full display, giving us reason to hope in Him above all our suffering and trials

He Will Judge the Wicked

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus testifies of the day in which He will sit in judgment over mankind, when He will judge over the sheep and the goats (vv. 32-33). Those who have rejected Christ and who have lived in rebellion to Him, He will judge, saying, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). These are the ones who are dead in trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1) and enslaved to their sinful nature (Rom. 6:20). They, as all mankind, were born transgressors having inherited their sinful nature from their spiritual forefather, Adam. In them, all thoughts, words, and deeds carry the taint of sin and their hearts are “deceitful above all things” (Jer. 17:9). When they finally stand before God in judgment, they will have earned the just wages of their sins, which is death (Rom. 6:23).

Why does a promise of Christ’s eternal judgment bring hope? We live in a wicked world filled with all manner of evil. People find themselves in places of suffering brought about by theft, defrauding, physical and mental abuse, assault, and even murder. The evil men and women who bring about such pain often do not face true justice and, in some cases, escape justice altogether. Be it because they are never caught or because of legal technicalities, wicked perpetrators of evil may never pay for the crimes they have committed in this life. Yet, there is hope because no man will ever escape the just wrath of God. Those who bring about pain and suffering will one day stand in the crowd of sinners facing Christ, the all-powerful and eternal Judge. The books of their crimes will be opened and they will be punished for all eternity. Every victim of evil in this age will be avenged by a righteous God. “who will by no means clear the guilty” (Ex. 34:7). The promise of Christ’s judgment brings hope to all those who have suffered at the hands of another.

He Will Forgive the Repentant

Jesus Christ is the perfect God Man who came to earth that He might pay the penalty for sinners, that they might receive forgiveness and eternal life (see 2 Cor. 5:21). This is beautifully expounded by Paul in Romans 3:21-26, where he explains that the law of God, the perfect reflection of God and all His attributes, has exposed the sinfulness of man, rendering all guilty before God. Yet, in His mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ that sinners might receive redemption. Sinners can now be, “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom. 3:24–25). Jesus, who came in the form of man, always lived in perfect obedience to all of His Father’s commandments (John 8:29), fulfilling on behalf of sinners what they could not do. Then, he willingly went to the cross that He might take the place of guilty sinners, receiving the wrath of God in their place (John 10:18). In doing this, God is both just, for sin is rightly punished at the cross, and the justifier, because Christ’s perfection is imputed toward sinners who turn to Christ in repentance and faith (Rom. 3:26).

Just as the knowledge that God will judge wicked men brings comfort to the afflicted, it is also a reminder that no man is guiltless before the Lord. While the knowledge of God’s sure judgment can bring hope, it can also bring conviction under the knowledge that all men are guilty and have fallen short of God’s perfection (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, the gospel message that Jesus Christ saves sinners is a source of great hope and joy. When sinners experience difficulty and hurt in this life, it is but a taste of the wrath of God that is yet to come. Yet, for those in Christ, the pain of life is a reminder that this is the worst that it will ever be. Sinners who turn to Christ in repentance and faith are assured they will never face the powerful and everlasting punishment of God. They can find peace in the knowledge that they are made righteous in Christ. They are now saints, adopted into the family of God and made fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). In Christ, the promise of forgiveness for the repentant brings about great joy and gladness.

He Will Comfort the Afflicted in Their Trials

Every person in this life will experience hardship, difficulty, and pain. The whole of existence is plagued by the events of the fall, even plants and animals were afflicted (see Gen. 3:17-18). No man or woman will go through this life without experiencing tribulation, and in those times, there is hope to be found in the Lord. It is important to understand that there is nothing that comes upon any person that has not been ordained by God. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God says, “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things” (45:7). All that occurs in this life does so only by God’s divine decree, even calamity. There is nothing that escapes His sovereignty. This is displayed clearly in the book of Job where Satan, by the permission of God, afflicts Job with the loss of his family, his wealth, and even endures attacks on his health. While this has occurred at the hand of unseen forces, Job rightly recognizes God’s sovereign hand when he says, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). It is in this profession of Job that Christians can point to hope even in affliction, for God purposes all things, even calamity, for His glory and our good.

Trials and tribulations can have all manner of purposes, many of which only God Himself will know. However, Christians can discern some of those reasons from Scripture. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul says that God, “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4). Christians will sometimes go through turmoil in life that they may be equipped to later comfort others feeling the same pain. God not only allows the tragedy to occur, but also brings about comfort to the afflicted. It is in this way that God equips His people that they might strengthen and build one another up in times of trial. The apostle Peter writes that Christians may endure trials “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). Enduring difficulty cause Christians to flee from the things of this world that they might trust in Christ with all their might. Affliction tests and strengthens faith that the Christian might see their true hope is in Christ alone. Finally, Paul explained to the Roman church, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Ultimately, even if they cannot see it in this life, Christians have hope in God that all they endure in this life is for their good, for God is a good and loving God. Therefore, Christ brings hope in affliction for it equips and strengthens Christians to love and serve Him all the more.

He Will Give Them Eternal Life in Heaven

Perhaps the greatest promise Christians can point to that brings hope in times of trouble is found in Revelation 21:3-4, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” In the later years of his life, the apostle John is given a vision of things to come. Part of that revelation is a picture of the day that God brings His people into glory, into the new heavens and new earth for eternity. It is a day of joyous celebration for the pain and tragedy of the current age is done away with permanently, and all who are in Christ will enjoy the presence of their Savior for all eternity.

As noted above, those who are outside of Christ will be eternally punished. Revelation 20:11-15 describe this time of judgment when Death and Hades are poured out into the lake of fire as, “the second death” (v. 14). Christ Himself described this as a place of torment where, “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). Yet, those in Christ will enter into an entirely different eternal existence, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3). The ultimate hope of salvation in Christ is to be eternally worshipping the King of kings and Lord of lords in a place of perfect peace. A place where no pain or trial will ever again afflict the children of God. The knowledge of eternal life yet to come helps those in Christ endure it all, as Paul writes, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17–18).

Christians, as the world reels from trials, tribulations, and tragedy, know that you are equipped to bring the greatest possible hope it can find. Jesus Christ is Judge, Savior, and Comforter. In bringing people to the foot of His cross, you can help the afflicted find joy and peace that the world can never accomplish on its own. Take comfort in your own life, knowing that Christ has made these promises to you, then lead others to the well of life and tell them to drink deeply of the peace found only in Him.

Note: This article was also published at X.com.