1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
When the skies darken, the earth quakes and fierce storms rock the boat of life, hope is squashed by disappointment. Courage will be starved by negative reports or pessimistic comments if it is not nourished by hope. “Courage is like love, it must have hope for nourishment.” – Napoleon Bonaparte. Entertaining anxious thoughts, rehearsing hurtful words, damaging deride, rejections or false allegations will weaken courage and masticate hope. Our security is not in our possessions, status, bank balance or achievements; it is in the resurrected power of Jesus. The promises of God are alive through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. All that Jesus preached would have died on the cross with Him if He had not resurrected from the dead. God’s Word, the Bible revives the fainting, flail and fragile hope in crucible uncertainties. The resurrected power of Jesus Christ is the living hope.
We will be gullible and kill hope if we are dragged by the challenging circumstances. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep (1 Samuel 30:4a). The great warrior David and his valiant companions lost their strength when their hope vanished. Their families had been abducted and possession vandalized. When his fighting warriors were drowning themselves in rage and revenge, David revitalized his hope in the Lord. David found strength in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6). Hope is killed when we struggle to trust God. Even in the most hopeless and helpless situation, our trust in the All-powerful and All-knowing God, will resuscitate hope.
In a difficult challenge, rejuvenate hope.
Resuscitate hope:
1. Desperate: David was desperate as there was no hope of finding his family or his fortune. “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu. David turned his attention from desperation to the unconquerable God. Refocusing from the dreadful defeat to the indomitable God, revitalized hope. The situation that we face might appear to be impassable, but our trust in God will change the desperation into perseverance. Living hope will drive out desperation into inspiration.
2. Despondent: David the warrior was despondent as he did not even know where to start. He did not know who attacked his family or where they were kidnapped. The immediate effects of despondency on a human body are loss of appetite, lack of energy, difficulty to think or process information, a feeling of worthlessness and guilt. The fainting mighty warrior regenerated courage by reinforcing living hope. Living hope drives out despondency.
3. Dead: When hope dies, we become like prudes and allow the tides of life to direct our boat. We lose our fight to overcome the tidal waves of opposition or oppression. Rejuvenate hope by shifting your trust in God’s promise rather than the words of men. Jesus is alive. His Word still stands. Revive living hope with the resurrected power of Jesus Christ.
Don’t let your hope die. Jesus Christ is our living hope.
2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart.
Prayer: Dearest Jesus, fill me afresh with your resurrected power to resuscitated living hope. Amen.
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