Whatever the past, there is hope through forgiveness and the new beginning it brings. Whatever the present, there is hope in God for a better future! Life isn’t always perfect, but we can make it beautiful. Whatever darkness you might be facing, there is a light of hope that can make all the difference.
Martin Luther King, in his famous speech ‘I have a Dream,’ not only spoke of hewing ‘a stone of hope’ from a ‘mountain of despair,’ but also wrote of a ‘tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.’[1] When we find ourselves in a dark place of despair and disappointment, we desperately need the light of hope. We need someone who comes to us with a torch into our darkness. Hope is the light in the darkness. Those who bring the light into our darkness are priceless. It is true that when we sit in a dark place, we will never forget those who came to us with a troch.
King wrote of such people when he faced big disappointments. The expected support was weak for their just and important cause. But he focused on those who did help and support. He didn’t allow the bitterness of disappointment to bring the worst out of him. He was grateful for those who came to him with a torch in a dark hour. King also encouraged others to continue in the struggle for civil rights despite the difficulties they faced. When he was asked, ‘How long will it take?’ his answer was striking:
‘How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever. How long? Not long, because you still reap what you sow. How long? Not long. Because the arm of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice… His [God’s] truth is marching on.’[2]
King greatly encouraged those around him, yet he also had to deal with disappointments. And so do we. Despite the support they had received, King would later write that the things we remember, the painful part on such a journey, was not ‘the words of our enemies,’ but ‘the silence of our friends.’ Perhaps this is one of the most painful experiences in life, yet it is part of life. The question is, How do we handle it? Do we choose forgiveness and peace, or bitterness and resentment? Being disappointed feels like a dark place. Yet King saw the positive side of a dark sky that in it the stars can be seen more clearly. Darkness reveals the light. Light shine in the darkness and penetrates it. Hardships expose enemies from those we thought were friends. When you stay real, the fake people will disappear. Hope is the light in the darkness. Look to the light.
Hope gives us the courage to go on despite disappointments. We must handle shattered dreams properly or else we will end up in the quicksand of bitterness. Hope gives us the strength to go on when painful setbacks have occurred. Despite the silence of our friends, the disappointments over those who didn’t help us although they should’ve and could’ve, there will always be someone coming into our darkness with a torch. Be grateful for that person. Appreciate the light of hope they bring to you. Look to the light.
There are many powerful and inspiring stories in the Bible about hope being a light in the darkness when everything seemed lost. It seemed impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have the promised child—yet God made it happen. It seemed hopeless for Joseph when he was in prison that his dreams would come to pass—yet God made it happen. It seemed senseless for David to keep on pursuing the throne of Israel when he was rejected, despised and persecuted—yet God made it happen. All seemed lost when the Agagites within the Persian Empire prepared to exterminate all Jews during the time of Esther when she tried to save her people—yet God made it happen. Abraham and Sarah had a son, Joseph’s dreams came to pass, David became king and Esther saved her people. The hope they carried kept them going. It was a light in a dark place.
Jonathan encouraged David at a crucial time—he brought a light into David’s darkness (see 1 Samuel 23:15–18). Mordecai advised Esther what to do. It was a light of hope in a dark time. Joseph kept on serving others while being in need himself. He had hope as a light in the dark. Abraham and Sarah believed God in hope against hope, for they considered Him who promised faithful (Romans 4:18–21; Hebrews 11:11). Divine hope was oxygen for their soul and didn’t disappoint them. They kept fervent hope alive, and so should we.
Hope is the light in the darkness. Be grateful to those who bring the light of hope into your darkness of despair. There is hope and hope is good.
[1] Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963).
[2] ‘His Truth is Marching on’ (1965) in I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches that Changed the World (James M. Washington [ed.], 124.
Beautiful and uplifting. Thanks so much for powerful words of God. 👍👌😇