Have hope
Psalm 126
Isaiah 40:1-11
Romans 8:22-25
There have been a few times in my life where things have been so hard that I have felt literally hopeless. Nothing seemed as though it would change. In fact, things seemed so hard that I couldn't even imagine how they could be changed to be better. It's a hard place to be. Then, in that very dark place, I would catch, somehow, even the smallest glimmer of hope. Something that would happen that would allow me to see that the mess I was currently in was not permanent. I would cling to that tiny bit of hope with the same desperation that a drowning person clings to a life preserver.
These passages are God throwing us a life preserver of hope.
We are not alone in our hurt and mess. God knows we are here and not forgotten us. Chapter 40 in Isaiah, the turning point in the book which focuses more on the coming hope than the present mess of sin, begins with the word comfort. It's even repeated. God knows we need comfort. He knows we hurt. He knows we are scared. He knows life can be hard. God knows and gives us His comfort; He speaks tenderly telling us the end will be better. Much better.
John is actually bringing us hope. His is the voice crying out of the wilderness to prepare the way of the LORD. He tells people to turn to God for He is coming... the glory of the LORD shall be revealed (Is. 40:5). God Himself will become visible. This is good news, because with the coming of the LORD, warfare will end, sin will be pardoned, and God is able to do this.
God is all powerful and comes with might. The Creator has control of His creation. In comparison, we are as powerless to do anything for ourselves as the grass of the field. Yet how does this all powerful God come to us who have turned to Him? Like a shepherd.
A shepherd who cares for and tends His flock. He will gather us up, carrying us close. He will take charge. He will be gentle. Isn't this what we deeply desire? To be unconditionally loved and cared for? To feel safe? To be able to relax because someone else is on watch? To have no need to worry about ourselves and our children? This is what God promises us, and God keeps His word.
We've seen before that God's timeline and ours may seem very different, but a different view of time is not the same as not following through. The future just looks different than we expected, and usually it is far better than our feeble time-bound imaginations had anticipated. We have hope.
But here's the thing with hope, it is a feeling of expectation. Paul sums this up by telling us that hope that is seen is no hope at all. If we have understood the true nature of God, then we have every reason to hope, and to hope expectantly that His promises will come to pass.
And really, they already have. Jesus was born and fulfilled everything that was prophesied about Him. The work was done; the way was paved to allow us to fully experience God's love. We are still in the working out of the story, though, and need to wait for its ultimate fulfillment. It is not baseless hope that we have, but hope that has a firm foundation built on the very character of God.
This is not all there is. The mess that you are in right now is not the end. God loves you and has already prepared something far, far better. Have hope.
Isaiah 40:1-11
Romans 8:22-25
There have been a few times in my life where things have been so hard that I have felt literally hopeless. Nothing seemed as though it would change. In fact, things seemed so hard that I couldn't even imagine how they could be changed to be better. It's a hard place to be. Then, in that very dark place, I would catch, somehow, even the smallest glimmer of hope. Something that would happen that would allow me to see that the mess I was currently in was not permanent. I would cling to that tiny bit of hope with the same desperation that a drowning person clings to a life preserver.
These passages are God throwing us a life preserver of hope.
We are not alone in our hurt and mess. God knows we are here and not forgotten us. Chapter 40 in Isaiah, the turning point in the book which focuses more on the coming hope than the present mess of sin, begins with the word comfort. It's even repeated. God knows we need comfort. He knows we hurt. He knows we are scared. He knows life can be hard. God knows and gives us His comfort; He speaks tenderly telling us the end will be better. Much better.
John is actually bringing us hope. His is the voice crying out of the wilderness to prepare the way of the LORD. He tells people to turn to God for He is coming... the glory of the LORD shall be revealed (Is. 40:5). God Himself will become visible. This is good news, because with the coming of the LORD, warfare will end, sin will be pardoned, and God is able to do this.
God is all powerful and comes with might. The Creator has control of His creation. In comparison, we are as powerless to do anything for ourselves as the grass of the field. Yet how does this all powerful God come to us who have turned to Him? Like a shepherd.
A shepherd who cares for and tends His flock. He will gather us up, carrying us close. He will take charge. He will be gentle. Isn't this what we deeply desire? To be unconditionally loved and cared for? To feel safe? To be able to relax because someone else is on watch? To have no need to worry about ourselves and our children? This is what God promises us, and God keeps His word.
We've seen before that God's timeline and ours may seem very different, but a different view of time is not the same as not following through. The future just looks different than we expected, and usually it is far better than our feeble time-bound imaginations had anticipated. We have hope.
But here's the thing with hope, it is a feeling of expectation. Paul sums this up by telling us that hope that is seen is no hope at all. If we have understood the true nature of God, then we have every reason to hope, and to hope expectantly that His promises will come to pass.
And really, they already have. Jesus was born and fulfilled everything that was prophesied about Him. The work was done; the way was paved to allow us to fully experience God's love. We are still in the working out of the story, though, and need to wait for its ultimate fulfillment. It is not baseless hope that we have, but hope that has a firm foundation built on the very character of God.
This is not all there is. The mess that you are in right now is not the end. God loves you and has already prepared something far, far better. Have hope.
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