Lent Day 40: Hope when all is lost

I wrote this three years ago, and am thinking about it again on this day between Good Friday and Easter. God is good - and trustworthy. When all we hope for is lost, He remains the same, yesterday, today, and forever...

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Their tomorrows were wiped away in an evening. All their hopes, dreams, ambitions, and aspirations attached to Jesus had come to nothing. For years, they'd followed him around the countryside, eating and sleeping where they were given hospitality. It hadn't been easy, but clearly he was someone special.

The day after Jesus died, the disciples were in shock: "He said he'd come to set up a kingdom, and we expected to be elevated with him." And, "We left everything to follow him, but it's been for nothing. He's dead. Gone. We can't believe it!"

Sometimes when hope is utterly dead, God is still at work. "It's not over until it's over." In other words, the outcome is determined by God, not by our understanding.

How could the disciples expect that, just when all was lost, the unthinkable was taking place. Not only a kingdom of earth and humanity was rising, but Jesus was proclaiming dominion over evil, hell, and even death itself. Unbelievable.

Unbelievable... until Easter morning.

In retrospect, it is easier to see the power and majesty of God. When we are wading through darkness, smeared with blame and guilt, drowning in unmet goals, we forget whose resurrection we celebrate. Each day, whether it is challenging or a walk-in-the-park, Jesus who died and rose again sustains us.

Hallelujah for the cross, especially when it seems, to our finite understanding, that all is lost.

Are there things you hoped for, dreamed of, that are on hold or have been lost? How might God be at work in the secret silences between your past and your future?

Read more:
*You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. Psalm 86:5 ESV

*He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:3-5 ESV

*Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last. Luke 23:46 ESV

*But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Lord Jesus, what a precious gift you gave to all humankind—giving up your life so that we would have eternal life. We accept your gift and pray to use our gifts and talents to bring others to know your love. Amen.

Lent Day 10: The hope of life

We'd been friends for years. Jama and I lived in the same city and thousands of miles apart. We shared music, prayer, and conversation. She taught one of my kids piano in exchange for her own lessons. For years, she and another single student joined our family for supper between their lessons.

She moved back to Seattle a few year ago. When I visited her in the hospital, we'd been acquainted for nearly 30 years. Cancer had invaded her body several times, but her spirit and vision remained undaunted. 

Watching Jama, I was encouraged by God's work among us. Her body was frail. But she was certain about what God had spoken to her. And that gave her hope. She expected healing, but if God did not heal her, she would be taken into his presence.

Remembering Jama during Lent gives me hope. God alone can do the impossible. He alone can override natural laws for disaster prevention, restoration, or healing. Sometimes he does. 

And sometimes, when our days are over, he calls us to life in his presence. "That would be far better," sighs Paul, knowing he cannot go Home yet. Jama had the privilege of walking into eternity, strong in her faith, trusting God for every breath and beyond.

Christ-followers live with this hope of life. Life here and now. Life eternal.

Lent reminds us that we have the receipt in hand for God's intervention. Jesus "paid it all."

Do you need hope today? God's answers don't always look like our questions. He does more than we expect. Gives us more than we ask for.

So take courage. Come to your Heavenly Father with your "impossible" petition. Be willing to trust and obey as you come. And see how faith in Christ and trust in the Father will transform your discouragement to hope ... and your darkness to God's light.

Read more:
*When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2 ESV

*If God is for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31 NLT

*I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NKJV

 Moravian Prayer: In dark days, Protector God, we are tempted to sink into despair. Please keep reminding us that you will never abandon us and we can always rely on your support and sustenance. Amen.