REFLECTIONS
October 31, 2010
 
 
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them —
the Lord, who remains faithful forever.
Psalms 146:5-6
 
 
Hope
 
Anthony walked through the gate, paused and looked around. Before him trees stood tall, flowering plants decorated the ground, and unfiltered light allowed a rainbow of vibrant colors to radiate through his eyes. He could see people scurry about their daily activities and automobiles crowd the streets. The aroma of home cooked meals filled the air and the sounds of being rang in his ears. It had been a longtime since he had been a part of any of it.
As the gate close behind him, he turned and gazed upon the stone-grey walls that had blocked him from the outside world for eighteen years. Then Anthony walked away from those prison walls a free man. His hope was true.
The suffering was over. Behind him at last were the questions an unjustly convicted man would ask—questions that might have challenged his hope. But hope had always been there. “I never lost hope, because once you lose hope, you’re a dead man walking,” Anthony said. “I wasn’t going to lie down and die. I knew that one day [I would be found innocent]—I just didn’t know what day.”
Anthony was sure of what he hoped for—sure he would be found innocent and set free. A few thousand years before Job was sure of what he hoped for too. He was stripped of his possessions, his friends, and his family; and he suffered a painful and debilitating disease. Yet even as his life crumbled away, he said of God, “though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;” (Job 13:15)
True hope resides in faith in the Lord. Hope is the certainty that He will draw near, relieve pain, and offer his peace. But as certain as hope may be, relief may not come in the manner we imagine. Neither will the day be known.
For Anthony it took eighteen years. Sometimes it takes a lifetime. But hope is true. It does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)
The Lord remains faithful forever.
 
“You are the light of the world.”
RichardÌ
 

www.reflectingthesavior.org.


Click here for Printer Friendly Version