Reflections on Hope

Ephesians 1:17-19 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

What is hope?  Proverbs 13:12 says Hope deferred makes the heart sick. So what is hope?  It is sometimes defined as ‘confident expectation” or a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear or unknown. Romans 8:24 But Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  Interesting.

I am reminded of the story of the woman with the issue of blood.  Luke 8:42b-48 But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Her faith made her well but it started with hope and that hope became faith and that faith took action and touched Jesus robe and she was healed.  Do I have that kind of hope?  That kind of faith?

Well, let me relate to you one of the most incredible moments in my life and see if do. In the summer of 2005 my daughter Amber became gravely ill with pancreatitis.  She was vomiting black bile and was nearly comatose.  She was rushed to Children’s Hospital where the doctors informed me and the foster mom that Amber had the worst case ever recorded and to prepare ourselves because she may not live.  The foster mom, Laura was so overcome with sorrow that she could not stay and left me alone to deal with what ever happened.  Amber did not die that night but she was on the critical list.  We were put in a room, she was hooked up to all kinds of medicines and monitors and had a tube down into her stomach to extract the poisonous bile that was accumulating in her stomach.  All of July her life hung in the balance with no relief in sight.  Near the end of July, I was driving on Oak Street on my way to the hospital, I was praying and crying, my heart breaking with fear for my daughter’s life when I heard a voice say to me “I healed her once, I will heal her again”.  The feeling that came over me is a clear now as it was then.  I remember going very still, my eyes staring straight in front of me and thinking ‘did I hear that right’ my heart knew it was the voice of God speaking to me the assurance that my daughter would be okay.  I never spoke a word of it, I think I might have been afraid I’d jinx it or something but the elation I felt was hard to contain.  I watched Amber closely for signs of healing and when a few days went by with no change I held tight to His words believing they were His and not my imagination.  One day, in early August I believe, her doctor came in to say that it appeared Amber was turning a corner and slowly recovering but that she would probably be in the hospital until Christmas and that she would most likely need a lot of surgeries to repair the damage done to her insides from having such a severe case of Pancreatitis.  Well, this was another prayer moment for me, I brought it all to God, I thanked him that Amber was starting to get better but I was expecting a lot more out of her healing – I wanted her to be home for her birthday with is Sept 18 and that she would not need any surgeries at all.  God answered my prayers big time and the doctors were left saying “I don’t understand, this is impossible”.  I wish I had been braver then like I am now so that I could tell them that God told me He would heal her.  Amber left Children’s Hospital at the very end of August, she has never had to have any surgeries.  I may not have had much of a summer that year but I do have the most amazing testimony of the presence and power of God that cannot be denied.

Hebrews 10:23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hope, it’s such a tiny word to hold such an amount of meaning.  One small devotional cannot possible do it justice.  I know that sometimes it is hard to hold onto, that some days look darker than others.  Let me encourage to look toward the author of our hope Jesus, He is our light and our salvation, the hope of glory.

Ephesians 3:20-21  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.