Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Hope, or Hogwash?



Some would call the situation hopeless.  There appears to be no positive outcome, no escapes, only dead ends and desperate attempts to just hold on.  The days are long, the nights short and sleepless. Even the quiet prayers of your quivering heart seem to be slipping away as you wonder where this will all end.  I know with all my heart that God knows the agony of those fitful moments, and He is ever so close, encouraging us to just lean into Him and keep hope alive.




I sat down in “my chair”, the one I have my quiet time in, glanced up over my coffee cup as I always do, and saw the word “Hope” on the wall across from me, along with some pictures of the farm. Hope. That one-word reminder is all I needed to begin quickly recalling in my mind all the ways God has led, protected, and provided over these years.  And that led me to nothing but gratitude and praise, even in a stressful, uncertain time. In a phone conversation the night before, this hope in Jesus to provide, deliver, and direct us as we trust Him, and even to return soon, was summed up as “hogwash”. I know to some it may make no sense. It is only logical to be seen as needing to do more than simply trust God.  But at the moment it is all we can do and all we need to do. As doors open and close, Jesus is quietly showing us the way. As we remain open and committed to following Him, He continues to shed light on a shadowy path.

The winds of change are blowing, some days as strong as these gusts of spring.  But it is also a time of great beauty as all of creation comes alive after the winter’s sleep.  And just as God cares for the lily and the sparrow, he cares even more for us. That means there is always hope because Jesus is faithful. So I am not just “hoping my situation will change.”  I am hoping I see Jesus more clearly in this, know Him more intimately, trust Him more fully, because of my situation.

My situation may or may not change, but because Jesus is faithful His unfailing love holds me, His wise counsel guides me, His sweet Spirit comforts me, His powerful, relevant Word sustains me, His peace calms me, and hope, hope in Christ alone keeps my heart focused on Him and my eyes ever looking to Him.  I choose hope over hogwash!

I will hope in Jesus.  He has never failed.  However this particular situation plays out I can know, you can know, that it will be good.  It might be draining, require some adjustments, or it may even be painful. But with His grace and help we can accept that His ways and thoughts are much higher than ours and rest in His love and care, moving forward into the future with hope.  Always with hope.

He is my hope, and I pray He is yours.  

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.” Lamentation 3: 22-24  

“Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”  Fear not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 6: 26, 28-29; 10:31


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