Yes, There Is Hope

This is probably one of the most personal blog posts I have written.

Last night, after posting about Sandra Fluke and Rush Limbaugh, I got in bed. My mind began to be flooded with all the political and cultural headlines over the past few weeks that have made me angry and frustrated. Obama's contraception/abortion mandate...the outpouring of hate by the Left over Andrew Breitbart's death...the blatant media double standard, false accusations of sexism, and brazen attempt to silence Rush Limbaugh...the media's attempt to turn Sandra Fluke into a hero for "women's rights"...Susan G. Komen Foundation being bullied into continuing their support for Planned Parenthood, an organization that does not provide mammograms but is the largest abortion provider in the U.S....the lies told about the completely reasonable bill in Virginia to require an ultrasound of the doctor's choice prior to an abortion...the vicious attacks claiming that Rick Santorum wants to set up a theocracy in the U.S. and the blatant lies about him wanting to ban contraception...Obama's unconstitutional non-recess recess appointments that got no coverage from the media...the legalization of same-sex marriage in Maryland, and the prospect of a possible upcoming referendum battle on the topic which will likely get just as nasty as the one in California which led to newspapers releasing the names and addresses of supporters of traditional marriage and the subsequent hate and intimidation directed against them by gay activists...the recent scholarly article published advocating the murder of newborn babies if they are not wanted by their parents...the weakness of the Republican field and the bitterness and infighting among conservatives over this election...the rising poll numbers and electoral prospects for the most left-wing president we've ever had and the realization that we may be stuck with him another four years...Obama's latest big-spending budget, which includes more subsidies for rich liberals who buy Chevy Volts but which cuts benefits for our military personnel...the sad state of our country which is drowning in an ocean of debt and spiraling into a moral cesspool. The more I thought about all of these things, the angrier I became. I could feel my heart racing and I was having trouble catching my breath. I honestly wondered if I might be having a panic attack.

I turned on my bedside lamp and did the best thing I could have done. I opened up the Bible and started reading. I started with one of my favorite passages in the entire Old Testament. It is the story about when the king of Syria wanted to capture the prophet Elisha, so he sent an army after him. Here is how the passage goes from 2 Kings 6:14-17:

So he [the king of Syria] sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

This passage is a reminder to God's people that no matter how dark it seems and no matter how large the obstacles or how great the opposition appears, God's hand of protection will always be on us. Like Elisha's servant, I so often need God to open my eyes of faith to see those horses and chariots of fire. I could feel the tightness in my chest starting to subside as a I re-read those comforting words, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Or, as Romans 8 puts it, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Next, I turned to Psalm 46, the psalm that my pastor had preached on last Sunday:

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
'Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!'
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Talk about an awesome refuge to have! No wonder the psalmist expresses such confidence...the same God who has done such mighty works in the past such as bringing his people through the Red Sea and feeding them in the desert with manna from heaven is now the God who is with us! The God who will rush to our aid when morning dawns! The God who sits enthroned and exalted over the entire world!

In the light of this confidence in God, David writes in Psalm 3, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." He adds in Psalm 121, "Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." We can sleep at night because God is our refuge and fortress, and He never sleeps!

Next, I found myself reading these awesome words from Isaiah 40:

To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
'My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God'?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

How can we think for a minute that our way is hidden from the Lord when He calls each of the stars by name? How can the Creator of the ends of the earth, with unsearchable understanding and inexhaustible strength, be unable to give us the help we need for our trials? He is the one in control of everything happening in this world, including all the depressing things happening in this country. He will give His people strength to soar like eagles and endure the long race without fainting.

But what about beyond this world? Do we have a hope that endures beyond the grave into eternity? Yes, according to Revelation 6!

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?' I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'

Yes, we have to come through the great tribulation of this life first. Yes, the cross precedes the crown. But if we belong to the Lord, these afflictions are but light and momentary compared to the awesome weight of the glory that awaits us in heaven with God. The worst it will ever get for us is right now. We have nothing but pure joy ahead of us, if we press on and endure to the end!

After I read these passages, I went to sleep and slept like a baby. I hope you do too!