Abraham and Sarah believed God in ‘hope against hope’—and God proved Himself faithful to His promise. He never fails. His word can be trusted. Martin Luther King hoped against hope that ‘stones of hope’ could be hewn from a ‘mountain of despair.’ It’s possible. King and the Civil Rights movement showed the world that change is possible and that there is always a future and a hope no matter what our present circumstances might be. Joseph, Job, David, Esther and others hoped in God despite the difficulties and challenges they faced. God had a way into a better future for them. There were those who came into their darkness with a torch—they inspired hope when it was most needed. Such hope is priceless and oxygen for the soul. Divine hope is a hope that doesn’t disappoint.
There was many a times in Israel’s history when the message of hope was much needed and had a profound effect on the people. Such a time was during the Exile in Babylon (586—539 BC). Israel had temporarily lost their place in the land God had promised to the fathers, yet God’s plan for them would stand: God would bring them back to where they belonged. Jeremiah reassured them of this with the following words of comfort and encouragement.
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare [peace] and not for calamity [evil], to give you a future and a hope.’ Jeremiah 29:11
Such words of comfort and hope were a light of hope that shone brightly amidst a dark period in history. Israel had suffered a great military defeat when the Babylonians invaded Judea, ravished the land and destroyed the Temple. It was a painful time with much suffering. The Ninth of Av, Tisha B’Av, is commemorated every year as a day of mourning in Israel’s history. Jeremiah acknowledged that there was a reason for this tragedy and they had to accept it. We must take responsibility for our past and make peace with it. Being bitter over the past and allowing the pain of disappointment to torture us will hinder our journey into a better future. Make peace with the past, cut your losses, and walk into what God has for you—a future with a hope! Job blessed the Name of the Lord despite his great and painful losses (Job 1:21). He cut his losses, but remain grateful for he had been given; he made peace with his past and continued to praise God. Praise will sustain you. Keep pouring out your heart to Him who dwells with the brokenhearted and trust Him always (see Psalm 62:8; Isaiah 57:15). It is easy to praise God when all is well, but vitally important that we do so when things go wrong in life. Job still praised God when everything was taken away from him (Job 1:21). The Lord gave, the Lord took, but His Name shall be praised nevertheless. Praise strengthened Job. Keeping the right attitude contributed to his restoration at the end (Job 42:10, 12; James 5:11). The same applies to us.
Furthermore, Jeremiah’s words gave the people hope. He reassured them that God would bring about good things in the future in fulfilment of His ‘good word’ to them (Jeremiah 29:10). God doesn’t leave us in despair and hopelessness. There is a ‘future and a hope’ (v 11). Yahweh is the God of hope who gives hope. His people must not fear; God would save them from captivity and bring them to where they belonged (Jeremiah 30:10). Even in earlier times, God reassured His people that He would bring them back to their land and firmly plant them there (Amos 9:14–15). No matter what goes wrong, God has a future and a hope for His people.
What can we learn from this history? It is one of many biblical histories that can give us comfort and encouragement from the Scriptures so that we can have hope (Romans 15:4). It shows us something special about the nature of God and instructs us what we can do when we face similar circumstances. We might feel trapped in a situation that feels like an exile or captivity: we are not where we think we should be and know there’s something better for us. But when we feel there’s not much we can do about the present, despair might set it. Yet God will show us ‘a way of escape’ in every situation (1 Corinthians 10:13) so that we can see the way forward. There’s a light of hope for the future. The God of hope will give us the power to persevere in trials so we can have hope (Romans 12:12; 15:13).
The context of God’s promise through Jeremiah (29:11) shows us some important principles we can apply to our own situations of ‘captivity.’ First of all, there was a set time for the fulfilment of God’s word. When their time in the exile was over (theirs was seventy years), God would perform His ‘good word’ for them (v 10). God has an ‘appointed time,’ just as He had spoken to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18:14). Nothing is too hard for Him, just as Jeremiah also acknowledged (Jeremiah 32:17). It’s remarkable to note that in both these seemingly impossible situations, God would reassure them that nothing is impossible for Him. Faith in God makes the impossible possible (cf., Mark 9:23).
It is important that during times of captivity, when we feel trapped in a situation, that we rejoice in hope, are patient in trials, and remain dedicated/devoted to prayer (Romans 12:12). We do this with the conviction of knowing that God is watching over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). When the appointed time comes, no one can stop the God who made heaven and earth, for whom nothing is impossible (Jeremiah 32:17). When God opens the door, nobody can shut it (Revelation 3:7), nor keep it shut. There is an appointed time in God’s plans. Therefore, we must discern the times and know what to do (cf., 1 Chronicles 12:32), just as Daniel did when the time came (Daniel 9:1–2). The prophet in exile read the words of Jeremiah and knew that the appointed time had come. It caused him to pray (vv 3ff), which is the next important principle in pursuing a future and a hope.
We are to call upon God and seek His face wholeheartedly (see Jeremiah 29:12–13). Daniel did that. At the appointed time, prayer is vital and crucial. God hears prayers, even when we sometimes feel He doesn’t or nothing much is happening. That’s where our faith in God during our prayers is important. By faith in God, we pray to the God ‘who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did’ (Romans 4:17). We pray in faith to the God who can move the mountains (Mark 11:22–24), that is, remove any obstacle in the way of His purpose; yet we, by our trust in God, are stable like ‘Mount Zion’ that cannot be moved (Psalm 125:1). As we pray wholeheartedly, God will hear us, will be found by us and will fulfil His ‘good word’ to us. God is good and does good (Psalm 119:68). He will lead us out of captivity and restore what was lost (Jeremiah 29:12–14). God is faithful and His word can be trusted. There is a future and a hope. Others in past history faced impoossible situations yet trusted God for a better future.
Those who believed the words of Jeremiah and dedicated themselves to prayer, then also acted upon God’s word. When the decree was issued for God’s people to ‘return to Zion,’ that is, Jerusalem—the city of peace and of the great King—tens of thousands responded. The great restoration had begun (see Ezra 1:1ff). We must heed God’s word, pray and act. God’s word inspires us to act; prayer empowers us to do so. We must take a ‘step of faith’ when the time comes. Take the first step, even if you can’t see the whole staircase, as Martin Luther King so beautifully put it. That’s faith, that’s hope. Abraham kept believing and giving glory to God despite his impossible situation (Romans 4:20). Job kept trusting God and kept blessing the Name of the Lord despite his pain and loss (Job 1:21). Keep believing, like Abraham did, and keep praising, like Job did. Israel trusted God to fulfil His purpose and He did not fail them.
There is a hope and a future in God—pursue it!
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