When Hope is Hard

Some people whistle in the dark, some cross their fingers, some bury their heads in the sand, some shrug their shoulders. Some look the other way, some get busy, some can’t stop talking, some stay quiet as a mouse. Some exist and endure, some lick their wounds incessantly, some travel to exotic destinations, some drown their sorrows, while others eat their pain.

Life is full of joys, but it is the disappointments and struggles that tend to consume us. They linger, are harder to shake off, and are difficult to bury. Perhaps it’s even worse when you have believed and loved God. You’ve trusted Him and you’ve been filled with expectation.

Yet nothing seems to change over long periods of time. Perseverance and trust slips away. Others slip away – we’re not good with bearing one another’s ongoing burdens.

Tucked within the pages of the Bible are many accounts of people just like us. They too are not perfect. They experience deep grief while struggling in the midst of unbelief and bad advice.

One well-known story is of Jairus, a synagogue leader, whose daughter was very sick and dying. She was twelve years old and he was desperate. Obviously, being a spiritual leader, he had prayed and pleaded with God. But there was no change and she was growing weaker every day. Jarius could have given up, having concluded that healing was not God’s will. He could have interpreted God’s silence as indifference. Perhaps rejection? Or perhaps evidence that Jarius’ faith was misplaced. But he didn’t.

In his desperate love for his daughter he made a fool of himself in front of all those who knew him. He hurled himself at Jesus’ feet and begged this strange and charismatic rabbi to please help his daughter. Jesus responded by following Jarius to his home.

On the way there the crowd pushed and shoved, jostling Jesus as He made his way to Jairus’s house. In amongst the crowd, a woman, who had suffered for twelve long years from bleeding, quietly and privately stretched out her hand to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. She was immediately healed. Undoubtedly she had given up many times. There was probably very little hope in her outstretched fingers, other than a wistful whimper, “Nothing to lose”.

Jesus stopped and asked who touched him. The people around laughed, “We all did!” But when it comes to Jesus, there is touching – and then there is touching. Lots of people brush up against God and Jesus, indifferent with no expectation. Nothing but curiosity -if that. They rub the Bible looking for a genie in a bottle, a talisman, a good-luck charm. If God is real then prove it to me.

This woman was specific and intentional. She told herself that perhaps Jesus is from God and really is capable of miracles. The theology was way beyond her. All she had was an incurable condition, outstretched fingers, and a willingness to seize the opportunity of being close enough to touch Jesus. If ever there was a mustard seed of faith here it was, in action.

Jesus felt power leave him.

As the woman emerged from the crowd Jesus affirmed her, called her “daughter” and spoke healing in all its fulness. No lecture, no judgement. Only unconditional healing and the unexpected tender love of God, her father – becoming real through his son, Jesus. She was undoubtedly healed in more ways than one on that unforgettable day.

And Jairus? He was witnessing the unfolding scene all the while thinking of his dying daughter, and how Jesus seemed to be so casual and much too slow. To make matters worse, news arrived that his daughter had already died. No point now in bothering the rabbi. That attitude resonates deep with many of us. When it’s too late, don’t bother God. I’ve heard so many exclaim that God has no time for them. But that’s the image they have conjured up – not the one revealed in Jesus.

Jesus hadn’t forgotten about Jairus or his dying daughter. He certainly paid no attention to those advising Jairus to accept this as fate. Instead, Jesus gently encouraged Jarius not be afraid as they continued on their journey to his home. To keep a longer story shorter – on arrival Jesus entered Jarius’ daughter’s bedroom with a few disciples and her parents. He woke her from a sleep (raised her from the dead) and restored life into her young body. Miraculous for sure!

So why then and not now? Why did Jesus do this for Jairus’ daughter – but not for my child? Why did He respond to the woman’s trembling fingers – yet ignores my cries for healing?

I don’t know the answer.

We need to remember that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because many would not come to Him. Multitudes left because some of His teaching offended them. The disciples witnessed the crucifixion that they had prayed would not happen. Later they were imprisoned, flogged, and many were killed. Even though they were obedient. Even though they healed others, in kindness and with great compassion.

Hope is a person. That person is Jesus. He came to be in the world with us, but not of the world. A broken world tainted with flawed agendas. He offered us His presence in the midst of all the suffering, the questions, the mystery and the incompleteness.

Hope is not about me, whistling in the dark. Hope is about trusting Him and the light He brings in the dark places. Hope is not always finding relief, having answers or escaping from pain. It’s knowing that He is with us as we go through pain and suffering – even if it turns out to be twelve years or longer.

Hope is what Paul learned on his journey with Jesus, alongside finding contentment in the midst of uncertainty and suffering. Paul was flogged, tortured, shipwrecked, disappointed, betrayed, and lived with a constant thorn in his flesh. It was Paul’s hope in the person of Jesus that birthed the fruit of hope in his life – no matter what came his way. THAT is miraculous!

And that’s why he wrote these words to encourage us….

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that NOTHING can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-39)

When my heart is racing deep inside my chest
And I’m underneath the weight of anxiousness
When the fear is raging and I can’t catch my breath
I will remember

You are faithful still
You have carried me through deeper waters
Walked beside me through the fire
Faithful still
You have closed the mouths of bigger lions
Conquered even greater giants
Gone before me and You always will
You arе faithful still
You are faithful still

God, You saw this long before I еver knew
And Your peace was waiting here to see me through
My deliverance is only found in You
So I will surrende

You are faithful still
You have carried me through deeper waters
Walked beside me through the fire
Faithful still
You have closed the mouths of bigger lions
Conquered even greater giants
Gone before me and You always will
You are faithful still
You are faithful stil

I have a hope, I have a future
I’m a child of the Mountain Mover (Yeah)
I have a hope, I have a future
I’m a child of the Mountain Mover

You are faithful still
You have carried me through deeper waters
Walked beside me through the fire
Faithful still
You have closed the mouths of bigger lions
Conquered even greater giants
Gone before me and You always will
You are faithful still
You are faithful still

I have a hope, I have a future
I’m a child of the Mountain Mover (Yeah)
I have a hope, I have a future
I’m a child of the Mountain Mover