Real hope

Can you imagine the depth of misery to which the disciples plunged when Jesus was crucified?  His death caused the disciples to despair and lose all hope. 

These once faithful men viewed the early reports of Jesus' resurrection as impossible, they had witnessed His death, He was gone. So they simply did not believe what they were being told by those women who had just seen the Lord Jesus Christ resurrected with their own eyes.

Luke 24:11

‘When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense’.

The death of Jesus left his followers without a job or a leader, without a plan or a hope, without a vision or a future.

After His resurrection Jesus set out to restore their hope. Jesus appeared to the disciples and proved to them he was back from the dead. Proved that He was God and that nothing was impossible for Him.

John 20:19-20

‘On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord’.

With their faith fully restored and strengthened with the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus final instruction for his disciples was for them to go out and share with the world the great things that Jesus had done.

Matthew 28:19

‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’.

Isn't it incredible to think that even the disciples, those who walked with the Lord God Himself, lost their faith and turned and ran in despair. They saw all the miracles and experienced the power of the creator of the universe, yet still they doubted and felt abandoned and lost all hope when they saw Jesus die on the Cross.

We sometimes think that this is too hard or that is beyond us and we have no hope. Well from a limited human perspective that may well be true. But nothing is too hard for God, nothing! Put your trust in The Lord and believe that all things are possible for Him. Jesus defeated death after all.

God is our anchor in the present and for the future. Jesus clearly tells Christians that He will never leave us, never forsake us, and will never ever turn us away. These promises are the believer’s hope that covers their entire life. These promises are guaranteed and will stay with us until Jesus comes for us to take us home.

When you come to realize that God alone has already taken care of tomorrow then you can find true peace in your heart.  It is so much easier to sleep tonight when you know beyond any doubt that tomorrow is in God’s hands and always will be. Now that is what I call unshakeable hope.