hope

Horizon Vision

Posted on by Betsy

Let’s talk about hope today as we finish our look at Romans 8.

Romans 8 (New International Version)

24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Hope is no small matter in the Bible. The word itself appears more than 160 times, in dozens of contexts. Peter writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). What God offers to us is a living hope — a renewable spiritual resource that is “living” because it connects us to a living Savior. Faith means learning to live toward a horizon we cannot fully see yet. God invites us to have a horizon vision.

Let me ask the obvious question: Do you have hope? Do you need hope? What difference would it make in your life to move from despair to hope? Having horizon vision is an act of hope. When we look up from our troubles and focus on the glory to come, that’s hope.

When our college-age daughter was undergoing chemo for 9 months, we created a hope ceremony that the whole family participated in together. We made a chain of paper rings and strung them in her bedroom, with one paper ring for each chemo session that was scheduled. Every time she completed a chemo treatment, we took the chain down and had our dog Annie break one circle with her paw. It gave us all hope to see that chain grow smaller and smaller each week until there were none left. Focusing on the hope chain gave Sarah horizon vision beyond her pain and nausea every day.

On a practical level, having the hope that comes from horizon vision gives us an eternal perspective can make a difference in the real decisions we make each day. We don’t need to be focused on getting ahead in this life because this life is not all there is! We don’t need to be consumed by shopping the latest trend, for this life is not all there is! We don’t need to spin in anger every time we watch the news, plot revenge against our ex, bad mouth our annoying neighbor, sabotage our coworker for a better position … for this life is not all there is!

So maybe we can choose to respond with gentleness when we’re really annoyed. We can support the marginalized, the disenfranchised and stop cutting people off on the highway. In these and many other ways, having an eternal perspective can help shape the life we lead every day.

This final verse of Romans 8 is my favorite in all the Bible. When I was an Associate Pastor at the Peachtree City United Methodist Church in Georgia, we had a huge building campaign to purchase 63 acres of land located 3 miles from our existing building, which we had completely outgrown. A massive multi-building plan was conceived, beginning with erecting a 1,000 seat sanctuary. When the floor was laid and the ceiling was finalized, we invited the congregation to come one evening and write their favorite Scripture in black sharpie markers on the cement floor before the carpet was laid down. I wrote this: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

In all things. In the bad things. In the good things. In the moments of deep trouble and the times of great joy. In the births and the deaths, in despair and in hope. God works in all of it for our good. That’s what we mean when we talk about having an eternal perspective. That’s what having horizon vision means. As you go about your day, keep your head held high and your eyes focused on the endless horizon of God’s promises.

And may the Holy Spirit fill your heart with hope. 

Horizon Vision

Groaning

Posted on by Betsy

Romans 8:18-27 (NIV)

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Did you notice that Paul mentioned groaning three times in this short passage? Creation groans in labor pains, we groan in suffering, and the Spirit groans wordlessly within us. There is more groaning here than a teenager being told to go clean his room! But Paul is acknowledging the truth of our reality. 

All of creation groans in a state of declining decay as it waits for the time when Jesus returns and ushers in the New Eden. We weren’t meant for this temporal life. We were designed for fellowship with God in the garden. But after the fall, all of that changed and it has been God’s long range plan, through Jesus, to return us to an Edenlike place of dwelling with him; a place we refer to as heaven. We see Paul looking at this hope. 

I love the fact that Paul said that creation is groaning not in the last throes of death, but in childbirth. Labor pains mean life. Labor pains are a short-term suffering that ends in the beauty of a new creation. This new creation that God will bring will be void of pollution, catastrophic storms, and extreme temperatures. It will be a place where the lion lays down with the lamb, as God intended from the beginning. All creatures great and small will live together in harmony. When we join Paul in his vision, we, too can look past our current pain and suffering of this present earth and anticipate a time when Eden will be restored.

The groaning that occurs through humanity is how we express our exasperation over having to wait for our final “adoption” as children of God who look toward a future redemption of mind, spirit, and body. And see, you thought all your groaning was due to knees that ache, back twinges, and not being able to get off the floor anymore! But really, it’s your soul just groaning for that soon-to-come resurrection body. 

So when Paul used the language of “adoption” to describe the startling, new relationship enjoyed by followers of Jesus, he was speaking to an educated audience. First-century Romans, Jews and Gentiles knew what were the privileges and perks that came with the status of being legally “adopted.” Proclaiming Jesus’ disciples to be true “children of God,” and including them into the scheme of God’s salvation by virtue of a “spirit of adoption,” had real legal realities for Paul’s audience, especially the Gentiles who were previously excluded.

As adoptees, we can anticipate an inheritance as “the glory about to be revealed to us” and “the redemption of our bodies”. Paul writes about our inheritance of the kingdom of God in many of his letters. So yes, we groan through days of disappointment and despair that we experience in the here and now, but our groaning is really toward something yet to come that we can’t even see yet.

Now, let me ask you a question: Have you ever been so distraught and overcome that you didn’t even know how to pray? I have. I have sometime only been able to muster “Help me, help me” as I sigh and groan in my angst. So when Paul wrote “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” we can feel the immediate release of our stress and tension, knowing that the Spirit has taken over our need and our petition. We can come out from the confusion that blots everything out and see clearly that God has a plan.

And God does have a plan.

Are you groaning today? Remember God’s goodness is everlasting, and he has designed a better life for us at the end.

Waiting Patiently by Kathy Schumacher

A Future With Hope

Posted on by Betsy

Batman and Robin decided to go camping. They set up their tent out in the woods and went to sleep. A couple of hours later, Batman woke his faithful friend. “Robin, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” Robin, who is used to these midnight lessons, replied, “I see millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” asked Batman. Robin pondered for a minute. “Well, astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Chronologically, it appears to be about 3:15AM. Theologically, it’s evident that God is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant.”

“Why?” continued Robin. “What does it tell you, Batman?” Batman is silent for a moment, then speaks. “Robin, you’re an idiot. It means somebody stole our tent while we were sleeping.”

How many of you grew up watching the television show “Batman?” Batman began as a comic book, evolved to TV, and is the recent subject of several new movies. This story is first told in a twelve-frame comic strip in 1939 in issue #27 of Detective Comics. Bruce Wayne and his parents were walking home from the theater when an armed robber accosted them. His father stepped in front of his mother and took a bullet. Then the gunman turned the gun on his mother while Bruce watched. The robber ran away, leaving Bruce standing over his dead parents. His guilt and life-long suffering over standing by helplessly while his parents were murdered turns the boy Bruce Wayne into the superhero crime-fighter Batman. He dedicated his life to stopping criminals and defending the weak.

Batman’s life is a statement about how we can use suffering to give us purpose and to make us stronger while we wait on an unknown future that is way off on the horizon. This little story is also a reminder that sometimes you have to get out from under the tent to truly see what is on the horizon.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New Revised Standard Version)

11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet who served God during a time of great discord in Israel. He was called to warn the kingdom of Judah about the coming destruction by the Babylonians. God was allowing this to happen due to Israel’s apostasy. Even with this impending doom, Jeremiah had the ability to see beyond the immediate to the future with hope.

I am reminded of a story one of my pastors told about the first time he took his 6 year old daughter on a cruise ship. As they made their way out to sea, she looked left to right and then right to left and exclaimed, “Oh Daddy! I can see as far as I can look!” Her first view of an unlimited horizon was breathtaking.

So should ours be.

God has prepared an unlimited horizon for us that includes a resurrection body, a new Eden, peace, and fellowship with him. So no matter what troubles you today, look up! See the stars. Watch the horizon. Be encouraged. This life is not all there is.

Get out from under your tent.

Unlimited Horizon by Michelle Robertson

Buy the Green Bananas

Posted on by Betsy

A friend who is undergoing cancer treatment is finally having a good week. He feels good, he can walk without a cane, and he actually drove a car for the first time in three months. So he went out and bought green bananas.

I love that last part. It is a glorious sign of recovery. It is an act of hope. It’s what people do when they realize they will indeed live to see another day.

I wonder how many of us are leading our lives as though tomorrow won’t come. There are times when life can beat us down so hard we don’t have the energy, resolve, or desire to even lift our head off the pillow. Sometimes this feeling is situational, and eventually gets easier.

I’m sure we can recall a very hard break up with someone we thought we would be ours forever. Relationships ending can leave us feeling tremendously defeated. If you’ve ever been fired, you might recall a moment of sitting in the car with your hands on the wheel, unable to imagine a tomorrow. At the moment when the doctor came out of the operating room and told us that our daughter had cancer when she was a college junior, I could not see her tomorrows for a moment. Not seeing hers made me not see mine. Losing your parents, a spouse, or God forbid, a child, can leave you not even wanting tomorrows.

Hebrews 11 The Message (MSG)

Faith in What We Don’t See

11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.

When tomorrows seem hazy and possibly unattainable, it is good to remember what this verse is telling us. We have the firm foundation of a trustworthy God, which gives us a handle on what we can’t see. We can fix our feet firmly in a world called into existence by God. How amazing is it to know that God creates what we see, and what we don’t see. He is the creator of all of the tomorrows yet to come. We don’t need to see it…God does, and that is enough.

The ancestors of our faith were content to allow their tomorrows unfold according to God’s design and will for their lives. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah…they all bought green bananas.

32-36 There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead.

There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection.

Our ultimate tomorrow is found in the resurrection. There is something better. There is hope. There is a reason to get up, get moving, and get on with it. In truth, tomorrow never comes, for each tomorrow turns into today, and each day brings new mercies.

Faith is the reality of what we hope for and the proof of what we don’t see. So let us walk by faith and not by sight, and go forth to buy the green bananas.

Threre is Hope

Only by the Word

Posted on by Betsy

Today’s Scripture from Ezekiel 37 is the famous “dem bones gonna rise again” passage. Ezekiel faced a difficult task because he was called to prophesy to the Jewish people at one of the lowest points in their history. The small nation of Israel had been under siege for years and had been conquered by the mighty army of Babylonia. Jerusalem lay in ruins; the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Ezekiel, along with thousands of other Jews, was forced into exile to the capitol city of Babylon which was in modern day Iraq. Ezekiel was told by God to prophesy to the Jewish refugees about the future of their nation. God showed him a vision of a valley filled with dry dead bones as far as the eye could see. God asked Ezekiel if he thought the bones could live, and Ezekiel replied, “Oh God, only you know.”

Ezikiel 37 (Common English Bible)

37 The Lord’s power overcame me, and while I was in the Lord’s spirit, he led me out and set me down in the middle of a certain valley. It was full of bones. 2 He led me through them all around, and I saw that there were a great many of them on the valley floor, and they were very dry.

3 He asked me, “Human one, can these bones live again?”

I said, “Lord God, only you know.”

That was a really good answer. There are three things to take away from his response. First, Ezekiel had no hope in the bones, but his response demonstrates great hope in God. Second, he certainly would never presume to know what God was planning to do with the bones, acknowledging that God’s ways and thoughts are much higher than ours. And third, while he didn’t know, he was confident that God had a specific plan in mind. I think those are important lessons for us today. Hope, wisdom, and trust are the lessons Ezekiel learned. 

So let’s talk about hope. I think that many, many people live in the valley of dry bones today. Some live in that valley for a long time, and the truth is that all of us visit it for at least for a season. Mary and Martha were in that valley when their brother Lazarus died. They sent for Jesus as soon as he fell ill, but Jesus was delayed. Now Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. “Lord,” said Mary, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Then she began to weep. Her tears were so moving that Jesus began to weep as well. For a time Mary and Martha were living in the valley of dry bones. It is a valley of grief and hopelessness. Some of you have been there. All of us will be in that valley at some time in our lives. I am counseling a woman whose husband is fighting cancer for the second time. The outcome does not look good. Every time we meet, she wrestles with the same question. If he dies, how can I go on living?

There in that lonesome valley we will find ourselves asking, Is there any hope? Can I go on? Can these bones live again?

The answer is a resounding yes. There is hope. You can go on. These bones can live again. The question, then, is how? How can we find hope in the midst of desolation, courage in the face of impending collapse, comfort in our hour of ultimate distress? The answer is by the word of God.

God told Ezekiel: `Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'”

The answer is in the Word of the Lord. Remember, it was with a word that the world was created. “And God said, `Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Gen. 1:3) It was by the Word that God revealed the fullness of His love for humanity, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14) And it was by a Word that Christ brought Lazarus back from the dead, “Jesus cried with a loud voice, `Lazarus, come out.’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth.” It is by the Word of the Lord that we live and move and have our being.

Our hope is in the word of the Lord. THAT IS WHY THE SCRIPTURES ARE SO IMPORTANT TO OUR LIVES. That’s why you need to be reading your Bible every day and participating in a small group or Sunday School class here at your church.

It’s hard to have hope in the word if you don’t know the word. (Read that again.)

Many of you have been reading these devotionals since the beginning, in 2018. You agree with me that daily immersion into Scripture is vital for living, and I thank you for that! It’s why I get up every morning and reach for my laptop (and strong coffee). My fervent prayer is that you are also engaging in a group study and weekly worship.

How about it? Do you know the Word? It’s our only hope.

Monet’s Garden

H.O.P.E.

Posted on by Betsy

A long time ago I did a children’s sermon on the word “hope” and used it as an acronym to explain what it means to have hope. Hope is wanting something to get better. So we can have HOPE when we remember that there are always (H)elpers who will come alongside of us when we are in trouble. And if we remain (O)pen to seeing what God is doing all around us, it can help us to realize that God is working for good in our situation. Of course, HOPE comes to us when we (P)ray, and we should always (E)xpect that God is listening to us and will answer in his time, because his Word promises exactly that. That’s hope!

I want you to think of places in your life where you are lacking hope. Perhaps your job situation or your business is crumbling around you. Maybe your marriage or a relationship is in trouble. A challenging child or your teenager might be a dark place for you today, or maybe a betrayal or argument has kept you up at night.

Whatever is going on in your life that has left you feeling hopeless, this scripture is for you:

Zechariah 9 (New Revised Standard Version)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
    triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Does that sound like Jesus? Zechariah was an Old Testament prophet, proclaiming the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. With New Testament hindsight, we can see Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in this passage.

10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As Christian readers, we see a prefiguring of Christ’s Second Coming in this verse. We all long for the day when Christ’s dominion will rule the earth and his peace will be known in every nation. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Here’s where it gets personal. You have a blood-covenant relationship with Christ if you are part of his flock. He is active right now in setting you free from the waterless pit of your despair. So return to your stronghold by looking for helpers, opening your heart to God’s activity, praying without ceasing, and expecting God to restore you. Hope is your stronghold. Cling to that.

In times of great distress, God calls us to be prisoners of hope. May we never let go of that chain.

“Hope is a thing with feathers…” by Michelle Robertson (quote by Emily Dickinson)

Hope Wins

Posted on by Betsy

Today is Wednesday.

I type that with the certainty of a person who thought it was Wednesday all day yesterday. I got up, edited and published my Wednesday devotional and then suddenly remembered it was Tuesday. I went to my Tuesday staff meeting (thank God for that brief moment of clarity!) and then went to pick up my dog from the vet in the afternoon. Then at 5:00 I told my husband that it was time for our Wednesday night family ZOOM call. But it was still Tuesday.

Lest you think I was having a day-long senior moment, (a reasonable guess) I need to explain my lack of focus. On Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church, my 13 -year-old Labrador Retriever collapsed. I called some friends to help me get her in the car. I was able to check her in to an Animal Hospital, and with the very kind and knowledgeable help of Dr. Grossman, she was diagnosed with Vestibular Disease, and we brought her home late Tuesday afternoon. She is wobbly but well.

Those three days were a nightmare for me. I got a harsh reminder of what grief and anxiety feel like. From Sunday morning until she wobbled through the door yesterday, I was in physical and emotional pain. My chest and stomach actually hurt, and I could not keep my mind from going to all of the worst situations. I could not sleep, nor could I eat. Driving up the driveway knowing she would not be running to greet me at the door rendered me paralyzed to the point that I could not get out of the car for fifteen minutes that first day.

Yesterday morning, on my Wednesday/your Tuesday, I woke up to a much too quiet house and proceeded to upload my Wednesday devotional. My mind was spinning, but luckily, I had written it last week. As I worked on it, a large robin red breast perched on the railing right outside my window and sang his beautiful song to me. I stopped and watched him, thanking God for this gift of rare beauty in the midst of my emotional tsunami fog.I felt my heart lift just a tiny bit and I allowed my mind to envision bringing Georgia home and things returning to normal.

In other words, I began to feel hope.

We finally got the call that she had recovered enough to be brought home and I began to feel the deep knot unknot itself. Hope was then affirmed by spotting another red-breasted robin sitting on a hedge outside the vet’s office. God had been with me all along and these two bird sightings were like a sweet tap on the shoulder as he reminded me that he had never left me in those long hours of uncertainty.

Hope is the antidote to grief. Hope stands in the boxing ring with anxiety with its gloved fists raised and yells, “Give me your best shot.” Hope wipes out the fear of the worst thing happening. In the end, hope wins. Even if the worst thing had happened and we lost Georgia, I was reminded that thanks to the hope we have in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, I could look forward to that day of seeing her again, whole and restored. And ornery. Always ornery.

When we first got Georgia as a thirteen-week-old puppy, a vet told us that large pure bred dogs like her had a life expectancy of 8 to 12 years. She is thirteen and I know we are living on bonus time. The last three days were just a dress rehearsal for her inevitable curtain call. But somehow, I know that when it happens, peace will come at some point as I anticipate the reality of being reunited again.

Isaiah wrote a lot about hope, and this Scripture describes how I felt … except instead of eagles, I got robins:

Isaiah 40:31 (New Revised Standard Version)

But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

I don’t know what battles of hopelessness you are facing today, but I pray you will take this Scripture to heart. It is hard to wait when you don’t know the outcome, but Jesus reminded us that he is with us wherever we go, even to the land of hopelessness. So hang on! Your Redeemer comes.

Happier Days

A Thrill of Hope

Posted on by Betsy

This is the time of pre-Christmas festivities when we all hunker down to watch our favorite Christmas movies. The weather is less favorable to outdoor activity, we are enjoying the beauty of our brightly decorated homes, and everyone longs for the nostalgia that these movies bring.

Whether you are an Elf/Grinch fan or lean toward the old black and white classics like Miracle on 34th Street, all of these movies have one thing in common…hope.

Hope for a better tomorrow.

Hope in humanity.

Hope in a future that is less complicated than the present.

Hope that we will get it right this year and turn our hearts toward the good things, the righteous things, the important things….the things that last.

Even the ubiquitous Hallmark Christmas movies echo these articulations of hope…albeit in the same story format. There is a girl (often played by a forgotten actress from the ‘90’s) who is recently widowed, separated, or divorced. Looking for a fresh start, she leaves the big city/corporate job and moves to a town with a name that sounds like the latest version of a Bath and Body Works lotion followed by the word Springs, Glen, Falls, or Woods. (“Welcome to Mistletoe Kiss Falls!”) There she meets an incredibly good-looking single man. Both of them are wearing sweaters. One of them hates Christmas. There is a business/community fair/school that has a crisis, and the girl and the guy come together to solve it, and eventually fall in love. (Don’t hate me! You know it’s true!)

We just can’t resist a good story about hope.

Psalm 85 is a psalm of hope, and it does not disappoint. It begins with a re-telling of God’s redeeming of Israel in the past, and points to the hope of salvation in the future.

Psalm 85 (New Revised Standard Version)

Lord, you were favorable to your land;
    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
    you pardoned all their sin.

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for he will speak peace to his people,
    to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
    that his glory may dwell in our land.

Watch what the psalmist does next. The interactions between steadfast love and faithfulness, and righteousness and peace are portrayed as beautiful meetings between two love interests:

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
    righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
    and righteousness will look down from the sky.

Even Hallmark would approve of this plot line.

Then comes the hope:
12 The Lord will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him,
    and will make a path for his steps.

Friends, the Lord WILL give what is good. He is giving it even as we speak. In the midst of a pandemic, hope arrives in the form of vaccines that will be available in no time. In the midst of a pandemic, we have learned the importance of family time and real connections. In the midst of a pandemic, we have learned to hope again.

When God’s people turn to him and follow his steps toward righteousness, hope reigns. What do you need to do today to correct your steps? Where are you wandering off God’s path? Where do you need hope?

Return to God in a spirit of faithfulness and he will meet you there with his steadfast love. Surely his salvation is at hand when you fear him…turn to him with all your heart.

Morning Hope by Anne Pokorny

Prisoners of Hope

Posted on by Betsy

I recently did a children’s sermon on the word “hope” and used it as an acronym to explain what it means. I said that hope is wanting something to get better. So we can have HOPE when we remember that there are always (H)elpers who will come alongside of us when we are in trouble. And if we remain (O)pen to seeing what God is doing all around us, it can help us to realize that God is working for good in our situation. Of course, HOPE comes to us when we (P)ray, and we should always (E)xpect that God is listening to us and will answer in his time, because his Word promises exactly that. That’s hope!

As I’ve been following the lectionary in these daily devotionals, it has been amazing to see how many times the assigned passage has spoken directly into the pandemic that continues to rage on. Today’s passage does not disappoint.

But I also want you to think of places in your life where you are lacking hope. Perhaps your job situation or your business is crumbling around you. Maybe your marriage or a relationship is in trouble. A challenging child or your teenager might be a dark place for you today. The prospect of remote learning this school year may be getting you down. Or maybe a betrayal or argument has kept you up at night.

Whatever is going on in your life that has left you feeling hopeless, this scripture is for you:

Zechariah 9 (New Revised Standard Version)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
    triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Does that sound like Jesus? Zechariah was an Old Testament prophet, proclaiming the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. With New Testament hindsight, we can see Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in this passage.


10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As Christian readers, we see a prefiguring of Christ’s second coming in this verse. We all long for the day when Christ’s dominion will rule the earth and his peace will be known in every nation. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Here’s where it gets personal. You have a blood-covenant relationship with Christ if you are part of his flock. He is active right now in setting you free from the waterless pit of your despair. So return to your stronghold of looking for helpers, opening your heart to God’s activity, praying without ceasing, and expecting God to restore you. Hope is your stronghold. Cling to that.

In times of great distress, God calls us to be prisoners of hope. May we never let go of that chain.

Hope’s Still Water by Jamie Mathis

Perseverance

Posted on by Betsy

Batman and Robin decided to go camping. They set up their tent and went to sleep. A couple of hours later, Batman wakes his faithful friend. “Robin, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

Robin, who is used to these midnight lessons, replies, “I see millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?” asks Batman.

Robin ponders for a minute. “Well, astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Chronologically, it appears to be about 3:15AM. Theologically, it’s evident that God is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant.”

“Why?” continued Robin. “What does it tell you, Batman?”

Batman is silent for a moment, then speaks. “Robin, you’re an idiot. It means somebody stole our tent while we were sleeping.”

How many of you grew up watching the television show “Batman?” Batman began as a comic book, evolved to TV, and is the recent subject of several new movies.

His story is first told in a twelve-frame comic strip in 1939 in issue #27 of Detective Comics. He and his parents are walking home from the theater when an armed robber accosts them. His father steps in front of his mother and takes a bullet. Then the gunman turns the gun on his mother while he watches. The robber runs away, leaving him standing over his dead parents. His guilt over standing by helplessly while his parents were murdered turns the boy Bruce Wayne into the superhero crime-fighter Batman. He dedicates his life to stopping criminals and defending the helpless.

Batman embodies the notion found in verse 3 in our scripture this morning:

Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance produces character. Character produces hope. Lord knows, we are in a season that requires a lot of perseverance right now.

Can you recall a time in your life when you had to persevere through something? Maybe it was as transient as enduring the awkwardness of Middle School, or as life-changing as the kind of perseverance that families learn when they are battling cancer. Some are dealing with the challenges of raising a special needs child or a rebellious teenager, while others are honing their character by being caregivers to a parent who is struggling with dementia. Suffering that produces character that teaches us perseverance takes many forms. As this pandemic continues without an end in sight, we are all learning perseverance.

Many of you know that our family learned about perseverance when our daughter was diagnosed with cancer. It truly is in these moments that God teaches us so much about himself. Even the worst of times can be a blessing in the end, for it is often in those seasons that you learn who you are, and WHOSE you are.

I say this to everyone today who is enduring something: God is with you. Even in your darkest moments, God’s light can be found if you look up and study the heavens.

Robin was right: the bright, shining stars and the vastness of the universe remind us that God is all-powerful and we, and our troubles, are small and insignificant by comparison.

5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

May you persevere through whatever it is you are suffering through right now, and find the hope that comes from God. Hang in there. God is with us.

Moonlit Night