Hope

Hope–a simple word. With immense power.

While I was in Israel, a hard freeze hit my Georgia hometown. Spring in the southern states is beautiful. Usually. The unexpected cold temperatures took their toll.

I was too tired to care when I first arrived home. But after days of rest, I wandered in the backyard and found my fig tree with no green on the branches. The fig trees in Israel were putting out leaves and figs abundantly. My tree looked like a skeleton. Hope for fruit and beauty seemed lost.

I had heard about the freeze. I had no idea how harsh it had been to plants on the precipice of budding.

Need For Hope

Have you ever felt like that? As if a hard freeze hit just when you were about to bud? Perhaps a cold wind and freezing temps came out of nowhere with a blast that took your breath away and almost stopped you from living?

I arrived home nearly four weeks ago, and I’m still weary. I blamed it at first on jet lag. Then on my age. But after a couple of weeks, I realized I was angry. I told God I didn’t want to be angry with Him, but I was most definitely angry about all the hurt and loss in this world.

My losses aren’t the only ones on my heart. Thoughts of friends who’ve lost their health or dreams or lives or loved ones weigh on me.

What do we do when we’re soul weary? Even though we want to honor our Father and reach out to bless others, sometimes we’re too empty to do much more than be.

Have you ever been there?

Even empty, we have choices. We can beat up on ourselves because we aren’t exuding joy and happiness. Or we can lean on our Father and wait on Him to fill us with His strength as we rest in Him.

Elijah’s Story

In 1 Kings 18 we read about Elijah and his battle with the prophets of Ba’al. Confronting the people and the prophets, Elijah said his famous words, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21, KJV).

You may know the story. Elijah challenged the prophets of the false god to prepare a bull for sacrifice on wood, but with no fire. Elijah would do the same. And then he told them, “call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God” (1 Kings 18:24, ASV).

The prophets of Ba’al called to their god all day to no avail. Elijah, after repairing the altar of Jehovah and pouring water all over the offering and the wood, called to Jehovah who answered with such a great fire it consumed the meat, wood, stones, water, and dust around the altar. What a mighty moment watching God work. What an emotional and spiritual high for Elijah as he heard the people exclaim, “Jehovah, He is god” (1 Kings 18:39).

If you know the story, you remember Elijah ordered the death of the false prophets and then prophesied to wicked King Ahab an end to the multi-year drought that had plagued the land. Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel and prayed. And the rains came.

Elijah’s Need

Shortly after seeing God show His power, 1 Kings 19 records Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah. In spite of all he had just seen God do, Elijah ran for his life far away from the queen and her threat.

If Jehovah could bring fire upon the mountain to prove He is God, and if He could bring rain after several years of drought, couldn’t He also protect Elijah from a wicked queen?

The question is not whether Jehovah was able to protect His servant. The fact is His servant was human. And humans grow weary.

The events Elijah went through were exciting and amazing. He obeyed his God and saw Jehovah do powerful miracles. But he also put out great physical and emotional energy in the process. Exhaustion occurs because we humans don’t have unlimited energy of any kind. And when we’re exhausted, we need rest.

Hope For The Exhausted

When I returned from Israel, I realized I had used up almost more energy than I had. I could be angry that I had no more energy to keep going. I could be rattled that I was drained so. Or I could rest. Be still. Stop. Trust. And hope that my Abba would refill me in His time. Just like He did for Elijah.

1 Kings 19 tells us what happened to Elijah when he ran away from the queen. God fed him and let him sleep. God let Elijah refuel, directed him where to go next, spoke to Elijah, and gave him his new assignment.

Maybe that’s what we need when we’re drained. Complete refreshing of our soul so we can carry on.

Rest In Hope

This weekend I tried to get enough energy to prune my fig bush, hoping it would survive. The discolored branches obviously were useless. That’s when I saw the green. Lush, new leaves nearly hidden at the base of the tree. New life sprouted in spite of the harsh treatment the tree had endured.

While I rested the last few weeks, waiting for energy to return, our Creator showed His hand breathing life into the fig tree that appeared dead. Hope says He will do that for His children, too.

Hope. What a beautiful word. Hope that life will return. Hope that in spite of the hurt and loss in this world, good will come. Hope that our Father, the great and mighty Jehovah, has not only the power to do miraculous things in our lives, but also has the mercy and grace to be gentle with us because He knows our frailties.

Today, if you’re basking in the warmth of joy and peace, praise the Lord. If you’re shaking from the cold harsh winds of adversity, then rest. And hope. Without putting out much energy, we can simply rest today, knowing our Father has worked in the past and will work again in the future. He has brought us through hard times before and will bring us through again.

As you rest, quietly hope. Emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual rest are all needed. Sometimes more than others. Our Father knows our needs. And loves us. He doesn’t chide us. He holds us. And while we rest, we hope.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Romans 8:24-25, KJV

Our Hope Is In The LORD

If you, like me, are pausing for a bit, resting in hope, perhaps you would be encouraged by the song Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns. As I rest, I hope, and praise the One Who is good even when things don’t feel good. I praise the Loving and Sovereign King of the universe Who is in control even though all seems in chaos. Our hope is in Him, for our help comes from Jehovah, the same God Elijah served. Because of Him, we can rest. With hope.

(Photos: Taken by Carolyn Thigpen. Frostbitten fig tree in Georgia, USA; statue of Elijah on Mount Carmel, Israel; and large fig tree in the Golan near Hermon Stream, Israel; 2023)