“…and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
When there is no hope in man, or in this world, and its systems, there is always the Great Hope, that One whose compassions fail not, and are new every morning. This hope of the world is forever, and certainly, found in the Eternal God, manifested to all men, in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know this?
On the day that Jesus died on the cross, there came a moment of the greatest suffering the world has ever known. On that day, from the sixth to the ninth hour, darkness covered the land. At about that ninth hour, after enduring the suffering of the cross, when spirit, soul, and body were at their absolute end of endurance, Jesus cried out: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” that is to say, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46) For this One who knew the presence of the Father, from before the foundation of the world, who had lived in the perfection and power of the Father’s love and joy, to now know the horror of separation from that living stream of Life, and joy, Christ’s measure of suffering, knowing such loss, and separation, cannot begin to be grasped. That which can, and must be grasped, embraced, and remembered without fail, is that, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “…He loved me and gave Himself for me.” To know something of this love of God is to look at Christ on that tree, and realize, though in a small manner, the depths of suffering and loss that He willingly endured for us. The depth of this constant present love is the proof that there exists an eternal hope, a hope that fades not away, being as sure as Christ is eternal, and unchanging. The question then becomes, “How can I practically know this hope, not only with regard to that moment when faith will become sight, and we will see Him, but today, on this earth, facing the challenges and difficulties which abound in a sinful world?
In the book of Jeremiah, God gave to the prophet a vision, one that was to have its realization after the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was in a prison at the time, but God of hope was with him. The vision that Jeremiah received would eclipse all that was at hand during the assault on the city. In that vision, surrounded by death and destruction, would be born “a word” of hope, something better that God alone could accomplish. The foundation of that hope was God Himself, His mercy, grace, faithfulness, compassion and love for His people. The hope was expressed by the specific words of the Lord. Those words would be the steppingstones of faith by which the believers of Jeremiah’s day, and afterward, would use to endure, and overcome, to see the glory of God, when there was no expectation from men. So, what were some of these words of hope?
In Jeremiah’s day, the wonderful word given to him in the prison was: “Behold, I will bring it (Jerusalem) health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.” (33:6) To the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem, specifically in regard to the rebuilding of the temple, as recorded in the book of Haggai, the word of hope was, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace…” (2:9)
In addition to the Lord’s words by Haggai, would come His words to the prophet Zechariah at about the same time: “Therefore, thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts…” (1:16)
Hope is born by the living word of God. Faith is strengthened to follow on and to overcome.
Dear Father, Fill us with hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.