Joy and Hope! These are two commodities we cannot live well without. Think over this past year. Have all your hopes been satisfied and your heart always been joyful? Life can crash in on us unexpectedly. Without hope, hardship depletes joy.
For five chapters in the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah reflects on the circumstances surrounding the exile of the people of Jerusalem. Expressions of desolation and sorrow fill the verses as the situation appears catastrophic and the people defeated. I remember near the start of the Covid pandemic in March of 2020, the world was literally thrust into a panic, somewhat encouraged through media, yet the statistics reporting daily deaths to this unknown virus were frightening. We were instructed to isolate immediately and take precautions, with a province wide shutdown beginning March 17th. Suggestions were made on how to live within parameters deemed safe. The abrupt change and the mandatory laws were overwhelming. Fear. Uncertainty. Anger. Anxiety. Confusion. Stress. These emotions were on the rise at a time when medical help was already being stretched beyond limit, so many were suffering with depression while in isolation.
About a week into our lockdown a friend shared a video on social media from a doctor somewhere in the United States. The doctor was giving a less-than-three-minute update on her views of the pandemic. At the conclusion of the video, with a smile on her face, she said, "Don't give up. I believe with all my heart that we will get there. God is still in control and we are going to come out of this stronger!" It was the first time in less than 10 days that I had heard a medical professional speak with such assurance over the outcome of the current situation, as well as acknowledge the sovereignty of God. The famine of joy and hope that had filled my heart were instantly replaced with the confidence that only Christ can provide. Her words felt like oxygen, breathing in fresh life again.
There are times when we can "dare to hope" in the face of uncertainty because God is our hope (Psalm 62:5-6). We can also experience unshakeable joy because in His presence is fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11). As the prophet Jeremiah writes in Lamentations, the faithful love of the Lord never ends and His mercies are new every morning. In the face of vanishing hope and joy, with unchanging difficult circumstances, we must remind ourselves what we know about God and let His truth override our emotions.
We have a couple of members in our family who are extremely keen to check the "Best Before" date on all perishable items. It can become amusing at the dinner table as labels to salad dressings are scrutinized before use. Well, guess what, God's steadfast love and mercy never expires. Our hope and joy can remain because the object of both is enough for now and for eternity. Truth transforms feelings. Jeremiah's spirit is uplifted as he recalls what he knows to be forever true about the Lord.
A crisis reveals whether our hope and joy have been misplaced. If our hope and joy are in the Lord, resting on His promises, we will be grounded as both these responses will still abound through the trials that come our way. It does not mean that there will not be moments when we sit with Jeremiah and weep over disappointments and unfilled longings. Heartaches bring grief. The people of Jerusalem were carried off to Babylon as captives, the city was in ruin, and the Temple was rubble. Yet, amidst the destruction, there are whispers of hope and echoes of joy. We may pause and reflect, cry and lament, but we will not stay there. Stirring up inside us is the God who dwells within us and the hope and joy He brings will cause our praise to rise.
(And here is the link to that video that pointed my hope and joy towards Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEAVWBxqsbc You can also find her Biblical teaching at livingwithpower.org)
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