Our Best Hope

Here in the UK the last several weeks have been wet and cold. It’s been difficult for dog walking as fields and parks are water-logged and muddy but just yesterday while dog walking around the neighborhood a beautiful sight caught my attention. Two bright, yellow daffodils were standing tall and beautiful amidst the sodden ground. I felt my lips stretch into a smile and in my heart a surge of joy burst forth. It was cold and muddy but the daffodils pointed to a great and certain hope — Spring was not far away.

As I joyed in the hope of Spring, I thought of the hope of Jesus coming again. These are dark days in many places around the world. There is political upheaval, demonstrators calling for change, wars taking place and threats of other wars to begin, unprecedented weather calamities, clashes with police powers, dysfunctional family relationships on the rise, and crime everywhere. These are days of, to quote Shakespeare in his play Richard III, “the winter of our discontent.”

Even so, while we endure and wonder about the chaos and evil going on all around us, like Spring coming after winter, we also have a great and certain hope. Jesus told us in Matthew 24 that the signs in the above paragraph would alert us to His return. As we observe these signs growing in intensity, let us take heed to what Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 4:16-18, For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words (NLT).

There has always been persecution of God’s people. Today there is still mistreatment of Christians. Do not think that living in a western country of great technology and riches that Christians will be free of abuse. As days grow darker, our arch enemy, Satan, and his demonic forces are moving out in strength, but do not fear. We are not alone. We have within us the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, strengthen, giving peace and courage in every moment of all our days. Because of Jesus we have joy in the midst of every turmoil.

Let us not lose heart in these days of winter for as surely as the daffodils grow tall in splendor and bloom in great beauty, so also will the Lord appear taking us to be with Him for eternity to be in that place where there is no more tears or sorrow or death (Revelation 21).

Spring is on the way; Jesus is, too. He is our great and certain hope.