Key Word: Hope (3) Fervent Hope

In a world of pain, despair and sorrow, we need fervent hope in our hearts and share it with others. Let God’s light shine through you (Matthew 5:16) and let His hope be seen in you (1 Peter 3:15). Hope will bring healing to many souls for it is oxygen for their souls as well as ours. There is healing hope that restores the soul of the brokenhearted. God is the Healer.

‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.’ Psalm 147:3

People need the healing God gives through the hope He provides. That healing is for the heart and soul. While heartbreak is sometimes inevitable, healing hope is available. God is near to the brokenhearted in order to save them from the despair of a crushed spirit (Psalm 34:18). When Jesus died on the cross, He identified with our suffering and took it upon Himself. By the very wounds of Christ, we find healing and restoration. He carried our pain so we can find peace and healing (Isaiah 53:4–5). God has not abandoned us in our sin and suffering; He sent His Son and Savior to save and heal us. Jesus lifts us out of the pit of despair into the glorious freedom of the children of God. He gives hope, fervent hope!

And when life gets difficult, we can rejoice in hope, which is a power to endure trials without falling into despair (Romans 12:12). As we keep our dedication to prayer, God empowers us to preserve until things get better again. One of the prophets put it figuratively in a such a way:

‘Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor the fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fall, and the fields yield no food; though the flocks may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.’ Habakkuk 3:17–19

There is a lot of poetry in the text that reflects the time it was written in. However, even in modern times we understand that we depend on food supplies by the harvests elsewhere. The Western world is very privileged with international trade that imports food from everywhere at all times. But most people are dependent on the local food production. The prophet lived in tough times, yet he found his strength in God, not the circumstances. In short, even if everything is going badly, I will rejoice in my God and find joy in Him and His salvation. God is faithful even in difficult circumstances. He provides strength even if the surroundings are less than ideal. Divine hope comforts us in times of failed expectations or painful disappointments.

Trees should bear fruit, the fields should produce a harvest, and animals should give offspring, but these were times when the expected did not happen. These were times when what used to happen, did not happen. It can be compared to job loss, or a financial crisis—there is insufficient provision. What are we to do? We are to find hope and strength in God! The joy of the Lord is our strength. There is power in praise and strength in worship. Praise Him through the storm—there is calm on the other side. Rejoice in God, as the prophet did, despite the circumstances and see your circumstances change. Don’t give in to despair, keep fervent hope alive. The circumstances may press hard, but we shall not be crushed. Things may be painful, but we shall not despair. Let us keep hope alive.

Even Job in his loss and suffering proclaimed that His Redeemer lived, and he knew some day things will be different again (Job 19:25). Job knew that there was hope in the midst of suffering, even for a tree that was cut down to blossom again (14:7). He held onto fervent hope and trusted God even though what he was going through felt like punishment (13:15). He would not sin against God but trust Him fully (1:22). He would not allow his soul to speak in anger because of his pain; it would be foolish to do so (2:10). Anger corrupts our soul. Like Hannah, we must pour out our heart before God and find healing in Him. In contrast, Job’s wife was no support during his trials. She spoke the wrong stuff and words of discouragement in a painful season! It must have been painful for Job not to have the right counsel from the one he loved and not have her support him to get through this. When our loved ones or friends abandon us in times of trouble, it hurts even more. But Job’s hope was in God, not in human beings, and this hope in God was not in vain: God restored to Job much more than he had lost (42:10, 12).

James commends Job for his perseverance during trials and writes about him as those blessed because of their endurance (James 5:11). Our focus must not be on the present suffering, but on the ‘end intended by the Lord,’ while we rely on His mercy and compassion. Divine hope didn’t disappoint Job, indeed never does. Blossom like a tender flower despite the tough circumstances.

Keep fervent hope alive. It’s worth it.