Month: July 2019

On a recent trip through West Virginia, I passed an exit for Hopeless Road. Wow! What an unfortunate name, I thought. Must be hard to sell a property on Hopeless Road. Then I got to thinking about why you would name something ‘hopeless.’

Hopeless says that you’re out of options. That things will never be different. And when we’re weary travelers on life’s highway, the turn-off for Hopeless Road comes up pretty quick. It’s a long and dangerous detour that will lead you far from where you want to be; it’s a short trip down Hopeless Road to Despair.

God can do things that don’t seem possible. He’s brought water from a rock, made time stand still, raised dead men to life. The Resurrection is God’s final and definitive answer to the question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14) The grave was the ultimate definition of hopeless, a situation man has never been able to do anything about. And then Jesus entered into death and completely changed it forever.

If death wasn’t a problem for God, what could we possibly face that would be too hard for Him?  Certainly not our circumstances, not our problems, not our brokenness or pain or even our stubbornness. It’s not possible for someone who believes in Christ, who is relying on Him, to be without hope.

Too often what we have is a hopeless hope. It’s a lot more like wishful thinking than a strong and reliable anchor (Hebrews 6:19). But that’s not really hope. God says our hope can be characterized by confidence when it’s anchored firmly in who He is. Those who pin their hopes on the character of God won’t be disappointed. They won’t find their confidence has been misplaced, because “nothing is too hard for Him” (Jeremiah 32:17). We can lean in hard on Him – He won’t give way.

The thing about hope is that it’s always tied up with waiting. Paul said, “Who hopes for what they already have?” and that’s the truth (Romans 8:24). We don’t need hope if we already possess what we want.  But when the bag is empty, the diagnosis is cancer, the relationship seems beyond repair – that’s when we need hope.

If we would substitute ‘waits on’ when we encounter the word ‘hope’ in the Bible, we might get a better understanding of what it means to hope. To hope is to wait with expectation. God will keep all His promises at just the right time.

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. Psalm 27:14 AMP

On my trip, the very next exit after passing Hopeless Road was for Victory Lane. I think we will often find that victory is just around the corner when we resist the urge to give into hopelessness and instead are content to wait for God.  He is worth waiting for. He will not fail.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭130:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

My uncle was the first person in my family to serve in the US military. After graduating from college, he accepted a commission from the Marine Corps. It was the height of the Vietnam War; a few years later he was killed in an ambush. A folded flag and a picture of a young man in drab sitting on a shelf are the only memories I have of him. Although it’s been more than 50 years since his death, my mom continues to hear from men who served under his command and want to share stories of their beloved “LT Burt.”

 

To be commissioned is to be formally chosen for a specific task.  It always comes with a job attached, but it’s about so much more than the job.  Military officers with a commission accept responsibility for the lives of those under their command. They understand that they must be willing to send their troops into battle, to lead them places they don’t want to go, to put them in danger, to send them through hell.

 

I’ve accepted a few commissions myself. Sometimes I wish they all came with a little ceremony. Maybe then I would be less likely to forget what I agreed to undertake. There are plenty of days when it’s lonely or boring and sometimes it seems like the troops are mutinying. But that doesn’t erase my responsibility to hold the pass until my Commander relieves me of my post.

 

Most of the time it’s a pleasant assignment. But there are seasons when the enemy tries the defenses, when he attempts to break the line, when he ups his attacks and sends out flaming arrows.  On those days, I rely on the knowledge that this is a co-mission, a doing together.

 

God has asked me to do this, and it’s hard. But He didn’t task me with the assignment and then say, “Good luck with that!”  Instead He promised to be with me always, to help me, to equip me with all that I need to do the work He has entrusted to me. He has already done the heavy lifting and He wants me to be successful with my little part, so He says, “Let’s do this together.”

 

I don’t think God needs my help. I imagine it’s a bit like the ‘help’ my children gave baking cookies when they were much smaller. They made a mess, ate the chocolate chips, and dropped half the dough on the floor. But messy as I am, God invites me to participate in His work anyway because He knows that I have a vested interest in its success.

 

You see, the people closest to me are my primary responsibility. And while some of them aren’t specifically under my command, they’re all in my sphere of influence. So what do the “troops” see in me on a day to day basis? How do they benefit from my leadership?  Are they being equipped for the journey and trained for the trials they will surely face? Have I done all that I was asked to do to prepare the next generation to undertake their own commission?

 

I can’t quit and my contract is irrevocable. Desertion would mean more than disgrace – it would make me a traitor to my King.  No other path leads to the Kingdom, and to deviate from the orders I’ve been given carries the risk of leading others astray. It’s important that we know what we’re up against. This is no walk in the park, but a venture through dangerous territory. It’s the kind of undertaking that requires focus, determination, and grit.

Challenge accepted.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV