Our Hope in Christ

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
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In the above scripture we have a great hope. A hope that many in our day scoff at. A hope that as we review prophecy we see in the headlines its fulfillment flashing by us just as signposts on a busy freeway. We simply cannot find the time to savor the moment.
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In the midst of such hope is also great uncertainty, great fear, and despair. Our environment is changing, times are changing, and with it our earthly security. Yet, even now the joy of some outweighs the present distress.
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Imagine for a moment those who live in great pain, day in and day out… those who are blind, those who cannot hear, and those who live with the same breath as we do and yet they do not have a full consciousness… these, ‘weak’… these ‘hopeless’, having once heard the above Good News passage, rest in it, hope in it…
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Their hope is to open their eyes… and see Christ on the throne. Their hope is to hear the Lambs Song sung by overcomers… their hope is a sound mind, a repaired body, and a release from pain and torment of this world…
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They have more hope than the average person because they look to the future. They have little hope in the present. For they recognize more than the typical Christian that this world does not satisfy. The recognize in their daily loss their great wealth in a pure hope and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Christ is their hope, the hope of our world.
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These believe even when we may not, fully… these have faith to see that which is to come… and that which will be. Are they really ‘weak’… are they really ‘hopeless’ or maybe we are… for we allow the cares of this world to blind us. We walk where we shouldn’t and the filth of this world stains us, defiles us… and deafens us to the gentle guiding voice of the Holy Spirit… they have hope in God’s promises, they live their faith. If we do not, then who really is hopeless?
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‘Father, thank you for your promises and thank you for the great hope that we all hope in.’
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