Hold Onto Hope

We are living in some uncertain times. COVID-19 has had a major impact on not just our community,

state and country, but on the whole earth. Living in the midst of a worldwide pandemic sounds more like the plot of a zombie apocalypse show than actual reality...wait, I think I've watched that before. 😉

Panic and fear have settled like a thick cloud casting darkness all around. It is hard to see the end, it is hard to even see what tomorrow may hold. Even though the bright, warm sun is ushering in springtime, it seems to have trouble casting out the darkness that has rested in our minds and souls. We have seen the results of fear on our neighbors from hoarding supplies to yelling at medical staff and grocery workers. 

But, we have also seen a light that is slowly breaking through the darkness. Church's partnering in their communities to feed the hungry, businesses thinking outside the box to provide necessities to their clients. We have seen medical professionals go above and beyond to care for the sick, as our lives have been radically turned upside down in the matter of a few days. 

So, as Christ followers, how do we respond in the midst of terror and darkness? Aren't we called to be a city on a hill, both salt and light? Of course! We have heard this call to action before. The call to push back the darkness with the love and forgiveness of Christ. But how do we do that now? How do we do it when we are all at risk, when we all are vulnerable? How do we hold onto the hope of Christ when the whole world is facing hopelessness?

Remember the promises of God

When Joshua led the people of Israel out of the wilderness into the land "flowing with milk and honey" it was the promise of God that emboldened them with hope and courage to face the giants they were up against. They knew this was their land because their God had promised it and His promises were always fulfilled. Just like his promise to Noah that he'd never flood the earth again. Just like his promise of a child to Abraham and Sarah. Just like his promise of deliverance through Moses. Just like his promise to be with Joshua wherever he went (Joshua 1:9). Joshua 21:45 tells us that after all the waiting, all the longing and all the fighting, "Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass." 

They were all kept. Not. One. Word. Failed...

Please don't miss that! God doesn't forget his promises. He doesn't keep all but one, or only the most important ones. He keeps them all! Friend, that should give us great courage and hope in our current times. That we can count on the promise of God that He will never leave or forsake us. He has not forgotten us. He works all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose! (Romans 8:28) Remember His promises; His good promises.

Remain patient with God

If I've heard it once, I've heard it a million times: Don't pray for patience! Why? Because the only way to become patient is like anything else...practice makes perfect lol! 

Can I tell you something? Think about how patient, or maybe long-suffering is a better term, that the Lord was with Israel. Currently I'm reading the Bible chronologically with a group of ladies at my church and also leading an in-depth study on 1 Samuel. Needless to say, we are constantly reading about the disobedience of Israel. Over and over and over again. I mean, come on! These guys witnessed the plagues in Egypt. They walked through the Red Sea and the Jordan on dry ground. They obliterated an entire walled city just by marching around it and screaming! And yet they continue to turn from the One true God to worship lesser things. 

Yet no matter how many times they walk in disobedience, the Lord is patient. He draws them back to himself. He even returned the ark of the covenant to Israel after the Philistines captured it, all while the Israelites were casually working in the fields (1 Samuel 6). 

The Lord is always patient with his people. So why can't we be patient with him? Why can't we trust in his goodness and also his timing. Whether it is through a season of a pandemic, unemployment, singleness, or simply waiting for the next step in your journey. If we can remember the promises of God to be good and always come to pass, then we also need to be patient with the Lord and trust his timing. That doesn't mean sitting on our hands in the meantime. We keep doing the last thing he told us. We keep looking for where he is working and join him. 

Rely on the presence of God

To stick with the story of Joshua, we see a command and promise throughout the book. "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). And as stated above, he was with them.

Things are different for us though, in a great way. In the Old Testament there were times when the Holy Spirit would come upon a certain person. David, Saul, and Samuel are examples of people this happened to. However it wasn't the norm. Everyone did not get the Holy Spirit. But today, because of Jesus (Happy Easter!) upon confession of faith, all believers receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. God not only with us, but God in us. God in us to empower us to face what lies ahead. 

The spirit of God rested on David before he faced Goliath. Why? Because the Lord knew what he would need in order to endure what was ahead. The Lord knows what we need to endure the times we are facing now and has already given us everything we need. Himself! We can step out from under the burden of self-reliance, because we will fail. But he will never fail. When we draw close to him through spending time in his Word and in prayer, we begin to build a reliance that doesn't easily falter. When things spin out of our control, we can hold tight to the one who remains in control. 

Readily pursue the love of God

We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). God pursued you and me with a relentless love! I gained a better understanding of this pursuing love through the adoption of our son. We went through all kinds of paperwork, interviews, fingerprinting, money and of course the waiting and waiting. All for a little boy on the other side of the world who had no concept of who we were, much less that we even existed. We were nothing to him during the whole process of making him our son, yet we loved him and pursued him through all the "stuff".

The Bible speaks of God adopting us.  And isn't it the same way? He does all the work to pursue us before we even know who he is. There is nothing we do to make salvation happen. Just as there was nothing Cai did for us to adopt him. We chose and pursued him. Christ chose and pursued you and me so that now we can pursue him. His love is perfect and infinite and the more we pursue that love, the more evident it is in and through us. How else does the world know we are his? By our love (John 13:35). Let's use this crisis as a catalyst to pursue the love of God so that others may see and start their own pursuit. 

Rest in the peace of God
Who ever thought that rest would become a 4-letter?! But in our culture that's exactly how we treat it. In order to achieve the beloved "American Dream" the new catch phrase is all about hustle. And how is that working out for us? Statistically speaking, Americans are some of the most stressed and anxiety ridden people in the world. We are over worked and over stressed with all the hustle. But if you are a Christ follower, rest should be a vital part of your routine.

Now don't think I'm trying to be big sister over here waging my finger at you. Rest is something I have to be intentional about and I don't always get it right. With a house full of kids on top of being a pastor's wife, rest is hard to come by and won't happen on its own. But does it really just happen on its own for anyone? I doubt it.

The rest we need though is far more fulfilling than an afternoon nap or a leisurely soak in the bathtub. Resting in the peace of God is something that can happen whether you are sitting on your couch reading or in the middle of your toddler's 5th meltdown of the day. That's because the peace of God is not dependent on your situation, it is dependent on your relationship. Philippians 4:7 tells us that the peace of God "will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". I don't know about you, but that is peace that I need right now. Peace that will fight the battles my heart and mind face every time I watch the news or attempt homeschooling, lol.

So whatever it is you are facing in this unprecedented time, know that you can hold onto hope. The Lord is near, He has not left.

For what great nation is there that has a god so near 

to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 

Deuteronomy 4:7

This scripture is so full of hope. So friend, take this opportunity to lean into the Lord. Remember the promises of God. Remain patient with God. Rely on the presence of God. Readily pursue the love of God. And rest in the peace of God.

But you will receive power when the 

Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will 

be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all 

Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 1:8