No matter the circumstance we might find ourselves in, there is always hope. Hope is not found in a change of circumstances necessarily, hope is found in the middle of our circumstance in the Lord. I have always loved this verse, Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”
When you choose to love and worship Jesus amid tough circumstances, you release the Lord to release His purposes in and through the circumstance. Jeremiah, who penned the above verse had one of the toughest ministry assignments in all of history. Even though the Lord knew Jeremiah from before his mother’s womb, his ministry was to preach and prophesy to a people who would not listen or repent, Jeremiah 7:27 (ESV)
“So, you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you.”
Jeremiah was called to minister to the Northern Kingdom of Israel in Samaria. His calling shows the mercy of God to tribes that had totally turned their backs on Jehovah. Yet Jeremiah was totally committed and frustrated at the same time. Amid this, it seems that Jeremiah always had hope. He wrote another verse which has become my life verse, Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV)
” Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
Even in our own rebellion, God is still calling for us to return and cry out for Him. What an amazing merciful God we have.
The scriptures are full of stories that illustrates that Jesus never leaves us alone in circumstances. He is there with us and often come to us in those times. We need to turn to Him and call Him.
David also had deep and dark circumstances in his life. Perhaps one the darkest times just prior to him becoming King is found in 1Samuel 29 and 30. He and his mighty men had just returned from the land of the Philistines to the city of Ziglag where their wives, children and servants had been left. When they arrived home, they found that the Amalekites had raided the city, destroyed it with fire and taken all their wives, children and belongings. David and his men were so distraught that his loyal men thought about stoning Him. David’s response is found in 1 Samuel 30:6 (ESV)
“And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
David then inquired of the Lord who gave him the go ahead to rescue the families and belongings. A great victory was realized, and he returned to ZIglag with great spoil. It is at this point that many commentaries point out that David was ready to be King of Israel. Instead of needing encouragement from even those closest to him, David had come to emotional maturity by gaining encouragement from only the Lord. Suffering is God’s tool to making one spiritually mature.
This is emphasized in James 1:2-8 (ESV)
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
This was said about Jesus in Hebrews 5:8 (ESV)
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
The Apostle Paul was also no stranger to hardship. Here is his a record of his ministry life in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 (ESV)
“I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.”
He didn’t mention being bitten by a viper (Acts 28:3). Paul spent approximately 5 years of his ministry life in house-arrest or jail. The last time was about 2.5 years in an actual jail cell until he was beheaded by order from the Roman Emperor Nero in 68AD. If not for the jail time, we might have never had record of the amazing letters he wrote to the churches during his incarceration.
One of my favorite stories about Paul is found in Acts 16. He and Silas are in Philippi and have just exorcised a demon from a young girl. Problem is, the merchants were making lots of money from the sorcery and fortune telling that this girl had been involved in. They took Paul and Silas to the magistrate who promptly had them severely beaten with rods then thrown in the bowels of the local jail. Instead of complaining about their ill treatment or asking God where He was in their suffering, they’re singing and worshipping the Lord. God had a purpose for what was taking place. The Philippian jailer and his family became the nucleus of what would become the Church at Philippi.
No matter what you might be going through, there is always hope because God always has a purpose. Paul just didn’t write about the hardships of life, he experienced them. He had discovered the secret of contentment. Worship and praising the Lord in all circumstances. God is bigger than anything we might be going through and will bring us to spiritual maturity as we discipline ourselves to not complain but to worship,
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I want to go back to David for a moment just to illustrate my point. Psalm 61 is believed to be the Psalm that he wrote when he encouraged himself in the Lord when even his own warriors wanted to stone him.
“Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.6 Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.”
“Lord, when life closes in, remind me that there is always hope in You because You have a purpose in all I have and will experience. Let me praise and thank You all day for your faithfulness and worship you in the evening as I lay my head to rest! I will always love You for You are my hope and strength!”