Hands of Hope
May 13, 2020
The storm rages against us, wave after crashing wave, knocking us to our knees.
We fight to breathe. We fight to stand.
Salty eyes blur our vision and confuse which way is up, which direction to go. The sand beneath our feet shifts and swirls and we struggle for balance. As light fades and dark closes in, there is no relief in sight.
Desperation grows.
As the next wave looms over us, we suddenly feel that we are being lifted up out of the cold, dark water. Invisible Hands of Hope swoop down and pull us to our feet. We catch our breath, at least for a moment. We stand in awe of the rescue and marvel at the wonder of it. We stand confidently, shouting with joy, declaring victory over the storm.
But the respite is brief. The next wave comes crashing down, and we lose our grip on Hands of Hope. Our faces are pummeled down again into the murky water and rough sand. Apparently we relaxed our grip and did not hold on tightly enough. And our feet were not planted deeply enough. Hope is gone and we are fighting for our lives once again.
The waves pound on incessantly. We are exhausted and see no end to the hammering as the sky grows darker. Fear, accusation, and sorrow slam us down again and again. Just when the last sliver of daylight is about to disappear, Hands of Hope reach down to us again. Powerful, strong Hands of Hope. This time we grab on fiercely to those hands and will not let go. No, we will not lose our grasp on Hands of Hope this time. It may be a long night. But we fiercely determine never to let go of Hands of Hope again.
We find Hands of Hope are extremely difficult to hold on to. Every wave is a challenge and commands us to loosen our grip. The holding on seems impossible; we feel weak and it makes no sense to keep trying. The storm is far too strong. The facts are undeniable. The holding on defies all logical and rational thought, belies present reality and mocks logical certainty. But although the Hands of Hope cannot be seen visibly, they are felt powerfully. They are indeed more real than the waves we see with our natural eyes. Way down deep in our inmost beings, we absolutely know this to be true. The Hands of Hope assure us that they are stronger than the storm and that all things are possible. The waves crash incessantly, but Hands of Hope are equally tenacious….they keep shouting out to us to hang on and rise above the cold, dark water.
Surprisingly, the longer we hang on, we find that a new strength begins to flow through us. We suddenly have renewed energy, an unprecedented fortitude. As we determine to hold on, Hands of Hope reveal their full measure of power.
Our perspective begins to change.
With a new sense of empowerment we begin to move from wishful thinking to confident expectation that we will make it. We have managed to hold on long enough to realize we can rely upon the Hands’ strength. We have survived the worst of the storm; the seas are no longer raging and the light peeks out over the horizon. Our confident expectation leads us to a feeling of certainty. In this new state we are now certain of something that previously seemed impossible. As daylight dispels dark, we realize we have now reached a new level of certainty called FAITH. We no longer wonder or question or doubt. We carry a deep assurance in our hearts that the things we hope for will indeed come to pass.
We have learned that no matter how fierce the storm, Hands of Hope are far more powerful. They stand in wait, ready to reach down and lift us up, carry us, deliver us. If we falter, it’s not because Hands of Hope have failed us. It’s simply that we have loosened our grip.
Hands of Hope will never, ever disappoint.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” - Romans 5:3-5 ESV
