Stirring Hope in Darkness
400 years of God silence between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Israel was occupied by Roman outsiders. Resistance unsuccessful. Hope seemingly deferred. This is the moment God chose for Jesus to enter the world as a baby, born into poverty and completely powerless. Light in the darkness came in the most unexpected way.
How do we stir hope when the dark seems so very dark?
Roughly 700 years before the first Christmas, another dark period engulfed God’s people. People turned away from worshiping God, worshiping greed, themselves, or the deities of other nations. Israel had been split into two kingdoms—Israel and Judah—and enemies from the east sacked both kingdoms at different times. Many Israelites were taken away from their promised land and enslaved.
One man named Micah assesses the loss and bemoans the lack of fruit in vineyards and orchards; he grieves the evil he witnesses among people and declares not even friends or family or significant others are to be trusted (Micah 7:1-6). Still, after all that, he pens these words: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7).
When Micah watches in hope, he demonstrates anticipation in action. This is not a fleeting emotion or a good idea he’s considering; rather, watching requires focused attentiveness. Eyes are scanning the horizon for movement, looking for God. Behind this is a determination that believes, despite whatever darkness we may be experiencing, God will come.
Micah recognizes it could be a while—this waiting he mentions didn’t have to contend with our conditioning of streaming services, same-day delivery, and instant gratification! He affirms he will wait; thousands of years later, he invites us to wait with him.
To stir hope in the waiting, Micah shares the unshakable faith that God will hear him. That faith enables Micah to persevere because hope isn’t a feeling. Hope is a stance. Chaos may storm around me, but I stand firm in who God is and what God is doing in me and in my life. I look to Jesus, who willingly came that first Christmas into chaos, even into my chaos, and who is interceding for us right now (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). The story isn’t done yet. God is not done yet. I am not done yet. All because of that stance of hope.
If we are struggling, hope can seem so very far away. We do not have to skip over the struggle to reach a false sense of hope or to muster fake optimism. Like Micah, we can take stock of where we are in life: the relationship ending, the evil injustices around us, the loss of a job, the uncertainty of our next steps. In fact, let’s follow Micah’s example and start there. Let’s recognize the challenges and bring them to God. And if at the end of that reflection, we cannot find hope in who God is, let’s borrow Micah’s hope until we can stir our own. “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). As you wait, I will be watching in hope with you.