Hope Flows Through Suffering

Today is Easter Sunday here in the United States. There is one last place that Jesus bled that I want to tell you about today. When Jesus was on the cross, and after He spoke telling God that He commended His Spirit to Him, the Roman soldiers had a way of making sure the person was dead. They took a spear, and stuck Him in the side. The Word says that water and blood flowed. This was proof that He was dead. However, this was a huge symbol of hope! 

In the book of Genesis, in the Bible, it talks about the 4 rivers that flowed out of the garden of Eden. They are Havilah, Pison, Tigris, and Euphrates. 

Havilah means "that suffers pain". Havilah had pure gold on it's river bed. Do you know what happens when you put pure gold in water? The water turns red.

The red symbolizes Hope. Therefore, hope flows through suffering.

The Jewish people have known about this hope for a long time.

God's first plaque on Egypt was to turn the water red. 

Later, in the wilderness, when Moses was getting the Ten Commandments the people made a golden calf to worship. Moses came down, melted the calf down, turned it back into pure gold, then put it in water for them to drink as a way to ask for forgiveness. Of course, the water turned red.

We can have hope that flows through our suffering because Jesus bled and died for our sins... but that's not all. He defeated death and rose on the third day. That's what we celebrate! We have a huge hope of never really dying. We just trade neighborhoods. 

Whatever you do, never squash someone's hope. Remembered, hope deferred makes the heart sick. Speak hope and life over everyone you see!

Happy Easter!
He is risen, He is risen indeed!