HOPE
The world is in chaos and people are looking to humans and the government for solutions, while they tenaciously cling to hope that things will get better. So, what is hope? Hope is defined as having optimism, expectation, faith, trust, belief, confidence, and conviction.
Recently, the Lord placed two questions in my heart that asked where my hope resides: “In what and in whom do you place your hope? Is it in a person, the government, world leaders, a political party, groups that represent causes, or is your hope solely and firmly grounded in Me and the truth of My Word?
The following examples reveal that man does not have all the solutions to the world’s problems. We can do what is humanly possible, but God is our only hope, and He is the One to whom we must turn. He makes a way and parts the seas of despair and hopelessness, bringing deliverance to all who call upon Him.
THE PARTING OF THE RED SEA
The Israelites, after years of servitude to the Egyptians, cried out to God, and God heard their prayers and sent Moses to lead them to the Promise Land. Unbeknownst to them, they would need to call out to God again as the Egyptian army pursued them to the Red Sea.
Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm (stand on God’s Word) and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today—you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still (wait). ” Wait on the God of hope who will fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
The Lord then said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?” (Even Moses was momentarily overwhelmed with hopelessness). “Tell the Israelites to move on.” God then told Moses to raise his staff and stretch it over the sea to divide the water, so the Israelites could pass through. “I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.” “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen” (Exodus 14:15-18). Not one Israelite perished that day, but all of Pharaoh’s army drowned.
BOSTON HARBOR’S MIRACLE
October 1746, upon the orders of King Louis XV of France, Admiral Duc D’Anville set sail for the Boston Harbor with a flotilla of 70 ships and an army of 13,000 men. His orders were to pillage and burn the city and secure the territory for France. The 15,000 citizens were defenseless.
Sunday, October 16, 1746, was a beautiful, clear day with calm seas. The townspeople, with hope in their hearts, gathered at Boston’s Old South Meeting House to pray for deliverance from the approaching enemy. Rev. Thomas Prince began to pray, “Deliver us from our enemy. Send Thy tempest, Lord, upon the waters to the eastward! Raise Thy right hand. Scatter the ships of our tormentors and drive them thence.”
As the skies grew darker and more ominous, Rev. Prince said even more earnestly, “Sink their proud frigates beneath the power of Thy winds.” Just then, mighty gusts of wind caused church bells to ring erratically and loudly. As they rang, the Reverend shouted through the noise of the storm, “We hear Thy voice, O Lord! We hear it! Thy breath is upon the waters to the eastward, even upon the deep. Thy bell toils for the death of our enemies!”
Hurricane-force winds sank the French ships, and only a few sailors survived. Because of prayer, the enemy had been defeated by the very breath of God.
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE
The bloody Battle of the Bulge occurred in the Belgian town of Bastogne. Twelve thousand American soldiers were surrounded by German forces who demanded they surrender. Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe replied to the German major, “Nuts!”
General Patton planned to break the siege and save the American troops, but was hindered by terrible weather. He knew that their only hope was in God, so he summoned Third Army Chaplain Colonel James O’Neill and told him to craft a prayer that would break up the weather and allow him to rescue McAuliffe and his troops. Patton had the prayer distributed to his men on 250,000 wallet-sized cards. As the men prayed, the weather abruptly cleared and allowed the Third Army to reinforce Bastogne.
THE MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK
In May 1940, Adolf Hitler unleashed his troops against France and Belgium. The Allied troops were surrounded by the Germans on three sides with the sea behind them. The German High Command boasted that their troops were “proceeding to annihilate the British Army.”
King George VI knew that all hope for deliverance from the enemy, rested in the hands of God. So, he called for a National Day of Prayer and the British people filled churches to pray. At the same time, the military decided to evacuate all the soldiers it could. Without enough military ships to carry all the endangered troops, a call went out asking for vessels, willing to cross the English Channel, to assist in saving the trapped men. Miraculously, more than 800 vessels responded.
As Allies raced to mitigate a catastrophe, Hitler called his troops to a halt. For three days, Nazi tanks and soldiers stood idly by as the Allies frantically evacuated their men. At the same time, poor weather grounded the Luftwaffe (German aerial warfare branch) allowing Allied soldiers to reach the beaches for evacuation on unusually calm seas.
Historians are baffled as to why Hitler suddenly called a halt to his advance when victory was assured. The German generals questioned why they were not allowed to chase down and obliterate the Allies. Once again, prayer had moved God to intervene.
I leave you with this profound statement made by Robert J. Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses that Made America: Defining Moments That Shaped Our Enduring Foundation: “. . . Those who pray do more for the world than those who fight; and if the world goes from bad to worse it is because there are more battles than prayers…”
PRAYER: Lord, forgive me for failing to be diligent in praying daily for this country and its leadership. Help me to keep my hope in the truth of Your Word, for Your eyes are on the righteous and Your ears are attentive to our prayers, but Your face is against those who do evil. (I Peter 3:12). And if we know that You hear us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of You (1 John 5:15). For Your Word that proceeds from Your mouth will not return to You empty, but it will accomplish what You please and it will prosper where You send it (Isaiah 55:11). Lord, my hope for a healed nation rests in You alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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