Always Hope

 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!  Psalm 42:11....."You cannot outhope the Living God." A.W. Tozer

One of my favorite scenes from The Lord Of The Rings movie trilogy is in The Two Towers, when Aragorn, the true king of Gondor is leading the defense of Helm's Deep, the fortress of the kingdom of Rohan. They are surrounded by the orc hordes of Saruman. A young boy, filled with despair, says to Aragorn, "The men say we will not survive the night. They say there is no hope." Aragorn asks for his sword, weighs its balance, and pronounces, "This is a good sword." He then hands it back to the boy with the words, "There is always hope." 

I have been in such places as the young boy and King Aragorn, surrounded by a seemingly endless horde of impossibilities. All of them pressing in upon me and all of them stealing my courage and hope. One such time was the Christmas morning of 1989. It was my first Christmas after the breakup of my marriage and having to resign my ministry. I was at the home of my childhood right outside of Pittsburgh. I remember awakening that day with my spirit matching the grey overcast skies above. I felt exactly like that boy, feeling that I too would not survive all that was happening to me. The enemy, through the seemingly impossible circumstances surrounding me, whispered into my heart, "There is no hope." I was on the edge of despair. Yet there was another whispering voice, infinitely stronger, infinitely loving, whispering into my heart and soul, offering infinite hope. It was the Holy Spirit, reminding me in the midst of the horde around me that there was always hope. There is always hope because there is always Him. His Life, His Presence, His Power, and His Love. The hordes of Saruman were routed and defeated. Rohan was saved, victory was secured. So too would be the army of threats, doubts, and fears surrounding and pressing in on me.

God didn't leave me in that grey place of despair. He led me out, rebuilt my life, restored to me what I had feared completely lost, lifting me from the miry clay and setting me firmly upon the Rock that is Jesus Christ. I discovered, as I would time and again yet to come, that He is a Living Hope, and that we can live in that Hope.

I learned then, as I would re-learn time and again, that you cannot every outhope the Living God.

The life of faith will take us to places like Helm's Deep. We will come to be surrounded by impossible circumstances. The enemy of our soul will whisper his lies into our hearts. Hear instead the whisper of His heart that is louder and stronger than all the fear and danger of hell. There is always hope because there is always Him. You may be going through hell, but don't stop. Keep pressing on. Keep walking, believing, trusting, and overcoming. The "orcs" of fear, anxiety, pain, and hardship will all fall before the One who sits on the throne. There is always hope my friend. There is always hope.

Blessings,
Pastor O