Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Lamentations 3:24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
From January 1975 until December 1976 I lived in dread. I was smack dab in the middle of consequences I had honestly earned. My undoing was my own doing. Life was hard and rarely joyful. If you have read my memoir “For Dear Life”, you know what I am talking about. I had single-handedly placed myself in Hell and now I was forced to live there. The punishment fit the crime.
We were living in Tehran, Iran. The rooftop of our two story apartment building was easily accessible and I remember one night going up there to be alone in my misery. Maybe if I go up on the roof I will be closer to God. Maybe he will answer me this time. I sat down on the rather uncomfortable surface and looked up. Are you there, God? If you are, would you please help me out here? I’m in a bit of a mess, one I created, I know, but would you help me anyway? I really, really need you.
Funny how we rarely turn to God when things are going well. It is only when the you- know- what has hit the fan that we reach out, desperate for the big hand of God to come down and fix things. If only it worked that way.
Back to the rooftop. I tried to find hope when I was up there. Hope was pretty much all I could afford at the time. To say I was “poor in spirit” would be an understatement. But on that night, alone and under the Tehran sky, I found a glimmer of hope. Some day I will be passed this, I thought. Some day maybe I will be happy again. Please God, let me be happy again. Thanks for listening, God. Talk soon.
It was that tiny bit of hope I found on the rooftop that sustained me through the darkest period of my life. I can’t say it was my faith, for although I was born and raised in a Christian home, I had strayed as an adult. I was no longer standing firmly in Christianity. Let’s just say I was sitting in an easy chair and doing my own thing. It was not until many years later that God would call me back into the fold.
I have heard some people say that hope is just a way of putting off the inevitable. How sad to live your life that way. Our Pastor last week said that hope was when a light shines before the answer comes. I like that, a lot. It was a small light shining brightly that night that would ultimately change my life for the better. Let’s say much, much better.
Hope is believing that something better is coming, that something better is possible. That the dark night of the soul you are experiencing is temporary. How could we go on without believing that? What would be the point? Hope is knowing that God has your back. That you are not going through this trial alone. He will be with you every step of the way. And when he is finished, you will be transformed. God can take the biggest and ugliest mess and turn it into a beautiful work of art. That’s what he does. He’s God. He created the universe, remember?
The three biblical passages at the top are three of my favorites on the subject of hope. I hope that they bring you some comfort, some peace, in whatever you are experiencing right now. Even though I was not obeying him, even though I was doing things that hurt him, he was still there with me on the rooftop, drying my tears and listening to my prayer.
It was not until many years later that I found what had eluded me for so long. But it came when I was ready for it. God’s timing is always perfect. He’s never late nor is he ever early. When you are feeling hope-less, remember it’s okay to believe in the good coming around the corner. Hold on to that hope and don’t let anyone talk you out of it. You know better. God bless.