I am fully aware – or, rather, I know enough about all that’s coming up for me, all that’s going on for me, and all that’s happened to me, that right now, there’s that feeling of dread. Or, really, is it dread? What is the opposite of dread, or what is the positive version of it? Well apparently the answer’s been right in front of me the entire time – dread may be present, but I cannot deny that there is hope.
Sure, you know – I’m all stepped up (10k steps before lunch, baby!) and I’m pumping endorphins much so that they’re all about every corner of my body right now… But there’s also those lingering thoughts – of the message I’m to be sharing in a couple of hours from now, of another 3 days of 10 hours a day of work coming up, of events happening later in the week.
Thankfully, through the conflict of positivity and good vibes versus the dread; Through the collateral damage, through the impact and implications of said conflict, and with no clear winner coming out on top, and through all this mess – What’s definite, what’s absolute, what remains and what will endure is hope.
We have hope, that our Lord – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is with us whenever we are alone, or whenever I am facing a multitude. As such, the possibility of me crashing and burning will always be present, but what prevails more than that is that our present God is faithful to cause it to work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
We have hope – I have hope – that whether or not there be a clear line to reconciliation, mediation, and a common ground in conflict leaving all parties satisfied, that our Father is not only with us, but is for us, loving all involved with the everlasting love expressed through Christ and His finished work. I have hope that our Father who sees FAR more than any of us could see is able to correct things according to His perfect timeline, and not our flawed insistences and expectations.
I have hope, that even in my stubbornness in not accepting finality, and not graciously accepting defeat and rejection, the everlasting love of my Father endures infinitely further, and He ministers to my hurting heart and fractured mind, again, according to His perfect timeline.
I have hope – yes, hope beyond dread – that no matter how things turn out in the chaos of work, that with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we have no condemnation. We walk according to the Spirit of the Lord poured out upon us, not according to the flesh.
In place of dread, we have hope. Christ saved us, and we have hope.
Amen.
Psalm 137
Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land
1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it.
3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill!
6 If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
9 Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock!
At first glance, of course, I wasn’t able to gather anything positive, or I wasn’t able to ‘twist’ this (if ‘twist’ is even the right word) to fit the narrative of grace, or the worldview of grace…
…Save for the perspective that we, in our own right as members of the body of Christ – well, while we are alive and while our physical bodies still function and accommodate the rest of our being in this mortal side of reality, well, we are in foreign land – a good chunk of our being still held captive by the enemy of our souls, the toothless lion, the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy.
He mocks us to sing praises to our Savior, as he simultaneously cheers for our death and downfall.
Yet we continue to praise Him, indeed, with our whole heart, despite the enemy’s taunting and roaring – For we know that our God and Father is the One who surrounds us with songs of deliverance and of salvation; and He who sings that we would hear from the outside in, well, He has poured out His Spirit and filled us with His Spirit who not only convicts us of our right-standing with God (regardless of if our foundations are shaken or sure), but convicts the rest of the world (satan included) of sin, and of his judgment.
I’m led right now to remember that the ultimate victory of Christ also entails the absolute defeat of our enemy. Captive as we may be in this world, the power of satan, and the power of sin, death, flesh and the grave – all of this is completely broken, for we are not under the law, but under grace.
Even right now, as I’m thinking about so much, and temptation even now attempts to tear me down, I am reminded – Christ is absolutely victorious, and satan is crushed and completely defeated.
Sin no longer has any dominion over me. I am a new creation under grace, alive in the Spirit, walking in faith. By Christ and His finished work do I live, move, and have my being, and nothing can ever separate me from His love.
Christ is the Truth that endures far beyond any facts, beyond time and space. He is our Way in this chaotic, fallen reality, much as He is our Life, in this hopeless existence.
Yes, indeed, though dread is present, and though things may be hopeless, our faith dictates our Christ-bought right standing and favor with God as our Father.
We have hope, that though all around is is fear, death, destruction, loss, rejection and pain – through all of that, we have hope born of the Spirit, through whom we bear love, peace, patience and joy.
And, yes – we bear love – perfect love that casts out all fear, love and everlasting love proven and demonstrated by Christ and His finished work, implemented and poured out upon us, that we would overflow with His goodness and grace.
Oh, Father – thank You, for You are our absolute hope beyond all dread. Thank You!
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