Real Answers

Real Hope...

God's constant care...

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:10

Jesus speaks clearly about the heart of God in this verse and the rest of the passage. Small children, although they have inherited the potential for sin, are innocents. They have not yet reached the age of accountability and are so close to the Father that their guardian angels are in constant contact with Him.

God has a purpose for these little ones...

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." -Jeremiah 1:5

In this passage God is speaking to the prophet Jeremiah. It is clear that He has a plan and a purpose for each little life before we are born, even if it is not here on earth.

The kingdom belongs to them...

[Jesus] said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  - Mark 10:14

They will dwell in the house of the Lord forever...

On the seventh day the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."
David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead.
"Is the child dead?" he asked.
"Yes," they replied, "he is dead."
Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"
He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’  But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
    2 Samuel 12:18-23

Remember this is the same man who said in Psalm 23:6
"...and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

This passage is the story of King David (writer of over half of the Psalms) and the loss of his beloved infant son just days after birth.

They are in a better place...

Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?...
For now I would be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest...
Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child,
like an infant who never saw the light of day?
There the wicked cease from turmoil,
and there the weary are at rest.
Captives also enjoy their ease;
they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout.
The small and the great are there,
and the slave is freed from his master.
    Job 3:11,13,16-19

This may seem like an odd passage to quote, but it gives great insight into the destiny of our children. As Job (the author) suffers he wishes that he was in their place because they are with God, they are free, they do not suffer.

by Steven Curtis Chapman
for the Mullicans, the Stegers, the James' and the Hadleys
1Thessalonians 4:13-14/Hebrews 6:9, 10:23

This is not at all how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you've gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but...

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
(There's a place by God's grace)
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see you face again

And I have never known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God's plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father's smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
'Cause now you're home
And now you're free, and...

We have the hope as an anchor
'Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true, so
We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope