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354. I Am Hope


Key Verse: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, Even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
John 11:25-26

Our God is a God of hope. He sees His people in their suffering and offers hope to those who have none. The people in Israel had been in slavery, in Egypt, for a long time. They had been away from the land of Canaan for more than 400 years. They had not come to Egypt to become slaves. They had come to Egypt originally to preserve their lives in a time of famine.

Over time, however, like the frog in the pot, their refuge enslaved them and made their existence a bitter cross to bear. They cried out to the Lord in their anguish. They remembered the promise that He had made to their Father Abraham and they clung to the hope that, even after so long, God would still hear and rescue. We see that their hope is rewarded. God tells Moses that He has indeed heard. He will not only rescue them, but He has prepared a new home for them with blessings beyond what they could ever imagine. For the people, the Exodus was like a physical resurrection or rebirth on this earth. In gaining freedom, they were blessed with the opportunity to start over with a new way of life, a new hope.

He saw the anguish of Mary and Martha as well over the death of their brother Lazarus. They too had little hope, but in Jesus, they found what hope they could in their situation. They hadn’t thought that Jesus would actually raise Lazarus from the dead! Just as God went beyond what the people of Israel could imagine, so now, Jesus went beyond what the two sisters could imagine by restoring their dead brother to them, alive.

It is said that during the Reformation, Luther was reported to have brought an evergreen tree into his home during the winter as a reminder of spring and the life to come, retaining the teachings of St. Boniface. So now, let’s add green to our portrait of Christ, for He is the hope that springs eternal when we trust in Him.

The hope that Christ offers is beyond what we mortals can imagine as well. Who can really describe heaven and living with our savior forever? Who can imagine the possibilities, the accomplishments that can be achieved, when we trust in Him and obey His promptings? We have hope because of Christ. He is “the God of Hope.” (Rom. 15:13) He is our resurrection and our life. Following Him is never predictable as we humans would like it to be. That would be to walk by sight. He calls us to walk by faith. When we walk by faith in Him, leaving the details to Him, the possibilities become endless for what we may do for Him.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)




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