Hope we can count on

If you were diagnosed with a serious illness that didn’t have a very good prognosis and then a promising new treatment came to light how would you feel?  Would you feel hopeful or skeptical or some of both?   Perhaps you would wonder if there is enough evidence that this new treatment is worthy of your trust and maybe even your life.

It is good to have hope for this life and to be proactive in our health. As wonderful as it would be to be rescued from suffering to live a long, full life, it is not the end all, be all. Sooner or later we will all face sorrow and deep struggle. What then?  The natural disasters and mass shootings of this past year have left many reeling in unspeakable loss and despair. How do we have hope, what sustains us when we go through those dark valleys?

When Isaiah foretold of Jesus the Messiah he broke forth in song with, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine….”  (Isaiah 9:2). That song was handed down through the ages and by the time of Jesus’ appearance, there were some who discerned the fulfillment of this ancient promise and many others who totally missed it.

While there are numerous accounts of Jesus healing the sick and even raising the dead, his higher intent is to give a greater hope, a certain hope that sustains and upholds us in the difficult places. It’s a hope that lifts our vision past this life and into eternity.

Even in the midst of great suffering, the apostle Paul also encouraged his readers to consider this life’s troubles in light of eternity. “Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.”  (2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 NLT).

When I come across reports of promising treatments for health conditions, I pass that on to those I think would have an interest in hopes that they will find relief from suffering. But my greater passion is to share the hope I have, a hope that sustains me through significant loss and challenge, especially when there is no other way but straight through the valley. That’s the place where I feel particularly grateful that Jesus not only came as a baby, He came as Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” He may or may not deliver me from difficulty, but one thing is certain, he walks with me through it. I come to appreciate His presence with me more than what he can give me. HE is the gift.

Whether you’re the optimist or the skeptic or somewhere in between, may I encourage you to discover for yourself the reality of His abiding presence.

Yes, there can be Joy to the World, even now, even in all our brokenness. “Joy to the World! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare Him room…”