This past week we experienced the first anniversary of the most devastating attack this country has faced since the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Also experienced was a sense of hope that may not have been realized by many.  Even in the darkest of hours we need to realize that there is always hope.  This is especially true for those whose faith is in Almighty God!  Just the fact that we have had a one-year anniversary should tell us that there is hope.  What must have those immediately affected by those attacks have thought during and immediately following them.

In our morning lesson we looked at three separate, historical and biblically recorded events that were of in their own way dark and despairing days, yet when we investigate them, we see that even then hope was a part of God’s equation.

The first event we looked at was the great flood.  Imagine if you can everything under water, to include the highest mountaintops.  Because of the exceeding wickedness of men, all living things were destroyed!  Except for one who found favor in the eyes of the Lord!  The future of mankind was preserved because of Noah and his faith in God.  Man had hope even through the cataclysmic event of the flood! 

The second event we regarded was the destruction of the cities on the Plain of Shinar, or Sodom and Gomorrah as they are more widely known.  Once again, God looked down on His creation and saw wickedness abounding in these cities and He resolved to destroy them.  In preparing to carry out His plan we see the insertion of hope.  God shared His intention with Abraham and in the course of their exchange Abraham began to seek to help the righteous.  During this exchange God agreed not to destroy these cities if only as few as 10 righteous people were found.  We know the “rest of the story” and that these cities were indeed destroyed along with all their inhabitants.  That is, except for Lot, his wife and his daughters.  His wife, of course, perished during their escape.  God provides a way of escape, in other words, He gives us hope, even in the face of destruction.  We only need to turn to Him to receive it.

The last event in which hope can be found in the midst of hopelessness was the death of Jesus Christ.  If you’re interested in how you can have hope in Him, come see us and we’ll show you what the bible says about the great hope we can have, only in Jesus Christ! (Acts 4:12)

Copyright © 2002, Nolan P. Rutter