Jeremiah 31:17
"And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border."
Have you ever watched something where the villain seems to be winning and the final scene shows that the villain has the hero down and is about ready to knock him out, when the next thing you see are the words, "To be continued." There is nothing more frustrating because you hope that somehow the hero of the story finds a way to get out of their life-ending situation.
I can remember sitting in junior church as an adolescent listening to one of the teachers tell the weekly missionary story. Every child in the room, including myself, would sit on the edge of their chairs as we listened to an exciting story come to a climax only to hear the teacher say, "Come back next week and you will hear the continuation of the story." It always seemed that the teacher would end the story when the main character was facing impending danger with no way to get out. Though we knew the story was to be continued and the main character seemed to have no way out, there was something inside of us that felt the main character would get out of their situation one way or another.
The verse above is very much like a story that comes to a point when there seems to be no hope when God gives His own, "To be continued." Israel had heard that they were going to be taken into judgment because of their sins. They heard that another nation would invade them, many would die, but the rest would be taken captive. To those adults who heard this, it seemed as though it was all over. Yet, God continued the narrative by saying, "And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD..." Though they personally would never come back to their homeland, God promised that their children would be able to come back and rebuild the land that was promised to them. Though sin would take their dreams, hopes and possessions from them, the story would not end there because God gave them hope that His mercy would allow their children to come back and possess the land.
When I look at this, I realize that there is always hope for the Christian. Sin may have destroyed the life of a Christian, but there is hope because their life is to be continued. You may be the one whose life has been destroyed by sin, but you have hope that your life is to be continued. The hope is not that your life will continue in the horrible situation that sin left you in, but the hope is that God can use you again. Christian, just because you may be down or a person you love has been knocked down by sin, you have hope that their life is to be continued. As long as you have that hope, you have a reason to get up and keep going.
When I look at this phrase, I'm also reminded that those who rejoice when someone falls needs to beware that their life is to be continued. I caution those who rejoice when you see someone fail because of sin for their life is to be continued. I warn those who rejoice to see a man of God you despise destroyed by sin for his life is to be continued. Don't rejoice heathen at the falling of a Christian, for their life is to be continued. Don't start your victory lap just yet, those who defeat Christian values in society for the battle is to be continued.
All you have to do is go to the last book of the Scriptures and you will realize that the end looks very good for God's people. One day Christ will rule and reign, and all those who were seemingly down for the count will get back up, and the continuation of their life will end in eventual victory.
If you are the one who has been knocked down, let me encourage you that there is still hope in your end for your life is to be continued. Don't wallow in your defeat. Get up! Your life is to be continued if you will simply trust God to help you put everything back together.