Don't Lose Hope

This is the message given in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish on Sunday, December 6, 2020.  The Bible verses used are Isaiah 9:2-7.

             The passage we read from Isaiah is generally regarded as being a prophecy of the coming of the Savior.  Many of the phrases Isaiah uses are ones we use to describe Jesus.  Wonderful Counselor.  Mighty God.  Everlasting Father.  Prince of Peace.  Every Christmas we think of the words, “For unto us a child is born.  Unto us a son is given.”

            Those words have become so familiar to us.  Sometimes they’re so familiar that they lose their impact.  But they would not have been familiar to the people Isaiah was speaking to.  And they would have made quite an impact on those people.

            Israel and Judah were in big trouble at this time.  They had enemies on all sides.  They looked to the nation of Assyria for protection, but that protection was going to come at a cost.  And eventually, Assyria would take over Israel and Judah.  The situation looked hopeless.

            And when you read the book of Isaiah, most of it is dark.  It’s gloom and doom.  It’s despair.  Isaiah knows things look bad, and the reason they look bad is that they are bad.  And they’re going to get worse.  Isaiah what’s going to happen to Israel and Judah, and he knows that it’s going to happen because of their faithlessness.  They abandoned God, so God is going to abandon them.

            But not forever.  Because, you know, one of the greatest things about God is that God never leaves us without hope.  Never.  No matter how bad things may look at the moment, there is always hope for a better future with God.  That was true when Isaiah wrote these words.  And it’s true for us today.

            “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”  That’s a powerful image, if you think about it.  Have you ever been walking in the dark?  It’s kind of scary, isn’t it?  Maybe not so much when you’re in your own house, although even then there’s always the chance you could step on something or trip on something.  But have you ever been outside in the dark, so dark that you could not see where you were going?  So dark that you could not see what might be out there?  And then, suddenly, a light shines.  And you can see where you’re going, and you can see what’s out there.  And suddenly things seem a lot safer.

            That’s the literal image.  But have you ever had a dark time in your own life?  Have you ever had a time when everything about your life seemed dark?  I suspect at least some of us have.  Maybe you’re having one now, as you look at the way the world is.  It’s hard.  It’s scary.  It’s depressing.  There seems to be no way out.  You search for some faint flicker of light, but you simply cannot see one.  The situation seems hopeless.

            That’s how Israel and Judah were feeling.  And Isaiah tells them, and tells us when we feel that way, that our situation is not hopeless.  Things may be dark now, but they are not going to be dark forever.  The light is going to come.  And when it does, it will be a great light.  No matter how deep the darkness is right now, that light is going to sweep it away.  A better day is going to come.  

            And in fact, it won’t be just a better day.  It will be a great day!  Listen to what Isaiah says, “You have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.”  “They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.”

            Those are some pretty powerful images, too.  Have you ever been carrying something really heavy, something you could barely lift, and then finally gotten it to where it needed to be and put it down?  That’s a relief, right?  That feels wonderful.  

            But we all know there are times when we carry other types of burdens.  And those can be the hardest burdens of all.  Times when we have bills to pay and we don’t know where the money’s going to come from.  Times when a loved one is sick, or in trouble, and it seems like there’s nothing we can do to help.  Times when we feel like we’re being pulled in all kinds of directions, needing to be there for our families, needing to be there for our friends, needing to be there for our work, needing to be there for our community and our church, and feeling like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done.  Times when we just feel exhausted and need to rest, but we feel like we cannot rest, because there are too many things that need to be done.

            Isaiah tells us that it does not have to be that way.  We don’t need to carry all those burdens.  The Lord is going to come, and the Lord is going to take away those burdens.  The Lord is going to give us grace and peace and love.  That day is going to come.  And when it does, we will rejoice.  We will rejoice like people who’ve brought in the greatest harvest they’ve ever had.

            Isaiah says it is going to happen.  It’s going to happen because of a child.  A child who will be a descendant of the great King David.  A child who will establish a kingdom of justice and righteousness.  A child who will establish peace.  A child who will reign forever.  A child whom we now know as Jesus Christ.  Isaiah tells them, and us, that it will happen because “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

            That gives us hope.  It gave the people of Israel and Judah hope, too.  But think about this.  The book of Isaiah was written, as best we can guess, somewhere in the vicinity of seven hundred B. C.   That means that the people of Israel and Judah had to wait seven hundred years for Isaiah’s prophecy to come true.

            We don’t think about how long a time that is.  Seven hundred years ago was 1320.  Not only were there no modern communications like the internet and TV and even radio, the printing press had not even been invented yet.  There was no such thing as indoor plumbing.  Not only were there no planes or cars, there were not even bicycles.  Columbus had not made his voyage to the new world yet.  

            That’s how long seven hundred years is.  And that’s how long the people of Israel and Judah had to wait for the Messiah to come and for Isaiah’s words to come true.  That’s how long it took for God to answer the people’s prayers.

            Do you think they all kept the faith for all those years?  I doubt it.  Some did.  Some held to Isaiah’s promise of the Savior.  But in seven hundred years, there had to be people who gave up.  And there had to be others who at least started doubting.  They had waited, and they had waited, and they had waited.  And nothing happened.  And they kept waiting, and nothing kept happening.  It had to be disappointing for them.  It had to be discouraging, too.

            Is there something you’ve been pray about for a while?  I suspect there is.  If nothing else, a lot of us have been praying for COVID to end, so we can see our loved ones and get together the way we used to.  But I know a lot of us have been praying for a lot of other things, too.  And we’ve been praying for a while.  And nothing seems to be happening.

            I think what Isaiah would tell us is to not lose faith.  Sometimes it takes time for God to answer prayers.  Sometimes it takes a long time.  Sometimes it takes a very long time.  But don’t get discouraged.  Don’t give up hope.  Don’t doubt.  God has heard our prayers.  God knows exactly what’s going on.  

            At the right time, a light is going to shine through the darkness.  No matter how deep your darkness may seem, at the right time a light will dawn.  God will shatter the burdens that are holding you down.  We will rejoice like we’d rejoice at the greatest harvest the world has ever known.

            God’s promise to Israel and Judah was fulfilled.  The Savior came.  He was and is called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.  He is reigning on the throne.  Not everybody knows it now, but they will.  At the right time, everyone will know.  He will establish justice and righteousness forever.

            God’s promises to Israel and Judah were fulfilled.  And God’s promises to us will be fulfilled, too.  The day will come when our burdens will be lifted and there will be nothing but happiness and joy and peace.

God promises it.  And when God promises it, we can count on it.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.