Faith and Hope in the Waiting
Romans 15:13 ~ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
People sometimes ask me why I smile so much. Honestly, I spent time many years ago on the dark side of that smile. A time when I felt little to no hope.* A time referred to spiritually as “The Wall.”
I’ve been a “Long’s Chapeler” going on twelve years now. For almost three of those years, I’ve been blessed to be on staff. If you do the math, you’ll see I came on staff during the early part of the pandemic.
It was also a time I felt I was being sucked back toward that wall. Like many, the pandemic shook my foundation. The community of friends and family I had leaned into for support and guidance in my recovery from the wall were on lockdown. When I heard we were emerging from our homes to have socially-distanced church outside, I took what I honestly thought at the time could be the possibility of endangering my life to be among those friends and family once again.
I needed to receive the spiritual and social nourishment I craved, even if from a distance.
I needed hope.
Shortly after, God gave me the opportunity to step into this position on staff. I remember a time of deep discernment, in which I asked many questions. At one point, I walked into the empty, echoing church, construction having been put on an indefinite halt. Sheetrock dust on the Sanctuary pews, the Venue packed with debris, and asking, “Lord, what are you doing?”
Have hope.
Have faith.
Ok, Lord. It feels to me like this ship is sinking. I’m shaken and I’m scared. But I will believe, and like I have in times past, I will white-knuckle my faith until we get through this.
Then came our outdoor Christmas drama, and eventually our first worship experience in the Community Room, our first after-lockdown OCC Packing Party, the return to normal services and Wednesday dinners, the flood response team and other community meetings and events in the new space, and even more experiences that brought about a wellspring of hope.
I might’ve cried tears of joy.
Each time.
A lot.
Many of us have had wall experiences in our lives, crises that turn our world inside out and upside down. When we hit this wall, we are driven to a journey inward. A journey where we ask questions, often very uncomfortable questions. Our foundation has been shaken and we are suddenly asking God what on earth is happening, why it’s happening, and when it will be over.
Sometimes we even question God’s presence or existence.
It’s called a “dark night” because we’ve lost the ability to see.
Faith and hope are the light for our journey. God’s word tells us it serves as this light in Psalm 119:105. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
When we can’t see in the dark, our faith assures us that hope is there.
Forgive the crude example, but when I heard this yesterday, it really hit me. If you tend to queasiness or are triggered by water, please skip this paragraph. An experiment** was done on rats in the 1950’s, in which they were dropped into water to see how long they would live. The rats died within an average of fifteen minutes. Another set of rats were dropped into the water, but were pulled back out, held for a bit, and then returned to the water. This second set of rats learned there was hope of getting out of the water. Not only did they recover fairly quickly, but they continued to swim for sixty hours.
That’s no typo. Fifteen minutes vs. sixty hours.
The difference was that the rats came to believe they would be rescued and thus persevered.
They had hope.
In the past, we’ve talked about turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones. About working with God, co-creating with faith and hope to turn that which the world and Satan meant for evil into something so beautiful, it would make Satan post a smack-my-head emoji.
Without hope, we can stall out and become stuck. With hope, we can continue forward, taking faithful steps along the journey. Faithful steps in our own inner journey and faithful steps in ministry to others.
So when you feel your foundation being shaken, we encourage you to embrace Psalm 16:8 (NIV), “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Why do I smile so much? Because I have hope, produced by a faith in God’s ability to take that which I cannot yet see and do something absolutely beautiful with it.
Romans 12:12 tells us to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Patience and prayer in tribulation while rejoicing in hope. Isn’t that the message of Easter?
Will you join me in embracing faith and hope in the waiting?
*If you are struggling, please reach out to our pastors or a mental health professional. If you don't know where to start, we can help get you connected. You are never alone, you are worthy, and you are greatly loved.
**https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hope-experiment-stanley-rodnik/
-Laura Greer
Women2Women
Women2Women is a ministry that encourages women to cultivate an intimate relationship with Christ, while also exploring how God has uniquely created, gifted, and called each of us. We connect with women where they are in life’s journey, providing opportunities for spiritual growth, health and wellness, intergenerational fellowship, friendship, and mentoring. Events and retreats are targeted to the needs of women so we can grow deeper in our faith, develop our gifts and abilities, and establish long lasting friendships. For more information contact Laura Greer at (828) 456-3993, ext. 204 or Laura.Greer@LongsChapel.com, or Vickie Staib at (828) 646-8819.
