Where do you turn in times of trouble? How do you excavate hope in the midst of sinking sand? When the earth seems to give way to fear, how do you find the strength to stand?
Beside eating copious amounts of ice cream, or hiding under layers of covers, or putting our heads in the sand—how do we uncover the light to pierce the darkness?
How do we adopt hope in uncertain times, when the world seems to be spinning out of control?
My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.
Faith. It’s not a weakness, band-aid, or fluffy ideology. It’s hope with skin on—skin and bones that came to walk the planet* so that we wouldn’t be suffocated by dread or buried in darkness.
Jesus. The Son of God—fully man, fully God—came to bring hope to the hopeless, rest for the restless, and peace to the chaos by bringing Salvation to the sinner.
When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.
Hope. The assurance that comes from knowing that even if it gets darker, He has already overcome that which threatens to take us under. We rise. We stand. We follow the lead of the One who sits on the throne.
Our faith isn’t flawed, fake, or fandangled.
It is the lifeline that is thrown when we are in quicksand. It is the anchor that holds us steady in the wind and waves. It is the breath in our lungs, the song on our hearts, the comfort that upholds us.
His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.
Where do we find hope? Upon the Rock.
Isaiah 44:6-8 The Voice (VOICE)
6 The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
King of Israel, who paid their ransom, has this to say:
Eternal One: I am at the beginning and will be at the end.
There is no God except for Me.
7 If you know any God like Me, tell it now.
Declare and demonstrate any who can compare to Me.
Or if you know and have announced events before their time,
told what is to come, then speak so now.
8 Don’t be afraid. Let your minds be clear of fear.
Haven’t I announced events and revealed what is to come?
From the earliest days, I have done so. You know it—you have seen and know.
So, go ahead, My witnesses: is there a god out there other than Me?
Witnesses: There is no other rock like God. I don’t know a single one.
These are not fighting words, these are cool cup of water words. These are not burning coal sentiments, they are a roaring blaze for those groping in darkness. These are not weak words, these are words to bolster and provide balm for the hurting. These are not words of judgment, they are words of life, of grace, of freedom.
The world cries out. The people mourn.
O God, may You excavate hope in the midst of sinking sand. Like you called Lazarus from the grave, may You call forth Your church to rise from the ashes and come forth, as gold. Like You were raised from the dead, may we witness the resurrection of Hope.
You don’t change. You don’t leave. You don’t abandon us. You don’t lack.
You Are. You remain. You dwell within. You are enough.
Jesus, we desperately need You, every moment—good and bad. Forgive us for turning against one another. Forgive us for misplacing our hope. Forgive us for throwing stones and bypassing grace. Forgive us for being wise in our own eyes and misrepresenting you to a hurting world.
God, we need You. Set us straight with Your Word. Purify our lips with Your Truth. Deliver us from apathy, prejudice, and complacency. Return our hearts to Yours.
Restore our unity with You and one another. Heal our land. We have dirtied ourselves with blood, pride, and idol worship.
Lord, help us! We have turned our back and we feel the harsh reality that comes from distancing ourselves from You. Help us remember Who You are. You are Love. You are Peace. You are Holy. You are Just. You are Perfect. You are in Enough. You are enough for this lack. You are able to do anything!
We take a moment and bow before You Jesus.
We stop.
We turn back to You and we find hope.
It might just be a glimmer at first, but as we return, like the Prodigal, the light of Home becomes brighter as the Father’s arms open wider and we find Grace in the eyes of the One who calls us His own.
When He shall come with trumpet sound, oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.**
*I heard this phrase “Jesus put skin and bones on and came to the planet” on an album of Judah Smith’s messages.
**On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand by Edward Mote.
It’s tempting to give way to fear in these turbulent times. My friend, Kelly Balarie, has written a book to awaken our courage. It’s called Fear-Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears.
Head on over to fearfightingbook.com to learn more about this powerful resource.
P.S. Adding this post to the #RaRaLinkup
Those are strong, fighting words, Katie. Beautiful. Visiting via #raralinkup.
Hi Kristi- Thank you friend. 🙂 Hope you are doing well!
Our hope is in God and in Him alone Katie. Beautifully articulated here. Thank you for this poignant reminder that our Hope is in Jesus. May we find strength in this truth so that all we see and come to Him. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. Have a fantastic week and may God richly bless you and yours.
Thank you Horace. You are indeed an encourager!
Katie, you have such a God given gift for words and writing. This post was amazing and really touched my heart. Thank you so very much for sharing your soul and for these powerful truths! Just amazing!
Thank you dear Susan. Praying you are encouraged today to press on!