“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” Jeremiah 32:15
Dear Ones:
Hope is a very powerful thing. In the darkness of unexplained circumstances, and sometimes suffering, hope is a light, a beacon, though sometimes dim. The greatness and intensity of this hope depends upon two things, the first being the object furnishing the hope. The second has to do with the individual believer’s commitment, and determination to believe in that object. From a spiritual standpoint, the great encouragement that strengthens one’s resolve to believe in hope, is the nature, motive, and purpose of the Object of hope. In the Lord Jesus Christ alone is expressed an eternal, but present, hope. It is based on a nature that is perfectly good, just, compassionate and merciful, which always works and acts out of love towards the believer. There is nothing that He does not know, from the intents and thoughts of the heart, to the “feelings of our infirmities,” knowing that we have very definite limits, as man is like dust, or the flower of the field. However, in God’s justice, or righteousness, He reveals Himself to the heart by the knowledge of His truth, strengthening the heart to believe in Him according to His word, for He is perfectly, absolutely faithful. The question then comes, “What then is His purpose, when all seems to give way, and things do not work out as one would have hoped for, or thought possible?” The answer is revealed to mankind in Christ’s death and resurrection. If ever there was a proof and certainty of the purpose of God for us all, it is the finished work of Christ on the cross, and the present work of the Spirit of Christ today. Everything in the believer’s life is brought into focus on Christ, the knowledge of His person, and the revelation of His will as discovered, and laid hold of, in His word. The “handle” upon which hope hangs, is the faithfulness of God, a God who is merciful and gracious, and who will always answer the cry of the heart.
Perhaps one of the most “hopeless” circumstances in history was that portrayed in the 32nd chapter of the book of Jeremiah. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was laying siege to Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was in prison in the king of Judah’s house. Jeremiah had prophesied that the city would fall, and that the people would be taken into captivity. However, in prison, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, telling him that Israel would be eventually brought back from captivity, and that fields and vineyards would again be possessed in the land. The darkness of the situation, during the siege, could not eclipse entirely the hope provided by God. Why? It was because of the One who had given the promise, the Lord of hosts. Accompanying such a promise would be revealed in the writings of Jeremiah the great bedrock for hope according to His word: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?” (32:27) The Lord Jesus would confirm this truth in the gospels by declaring, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26) It was on the basis of the revealed will of God, God’s capacity to do everything that He had promised in His way and time, that Abraham would, “…not stagger at the promise of God,” (Romans 4:20) “…being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.” (v.21) The impossible becomes possible, regardless of the circumstance, if the will of God is known, and grace is received to truly lay hold solely, and uniquely, upon Him for its fulfillment and accomplishment. The Spirit of God revealed through the Apostle Paul the very basis for having hope, the certainty of God’s intervention and working. He wrote simply: “Faithful is He who calls you, who also WILL do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24)
Dear Father, Give us grace to seek first to know Thy will, then to fix our hope on Thee, for its realization. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad