Hope for the Weary…

Christians have a tendency to become worn and weary as we fight the good fight of faith in these last days. It seems as if our efforts for the advancement of the Kingdom sometimes fall short due to an apostate attitude toward the things of God. Many in our world today do not share the same passion for Jesus that we do, so it is understandable to a certain degree that we become discouraged and down-hearted from time to time.

I am no different. It saddens my heart to see the blatant apathy and disregard that some of my fellow believers have towards the advancement of the Gospel. We are called to be light in a darkened world, but, if we were honest, sometimes our batteries get weak and we need recharging.

Dwelling in the temporal things of this world can get you there quick too. If you don’t keep an eternal perspective, things can get out of hand quick. We have to remember that, though we are in this world, we are not of this world. We are but strangers and pilgrims seeking to spread good news to those who will hear us.

As I meditate on that thought, my mind wanders to Isaiah 65. In this blessed chapter, we learn some things that help us to draw a strong contrast from our present state of being to our blessed state of being we will one day obtain. This particular passage goes into the future, after the closing hour of the 7-year time of Tribulation on the earth, and speaks of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth.

The only thing that stands in the way of us obtaining all of the promises contained in this chapter is TIME. We must remember that our God does not dwell in time like we do. He is above and beyond it. So when the Word of God states that we as believers possess something, we must take into consideration that God is already in what we know as the future, watching us receive what has been promised to us in the present. God keeps His Word.

Verse 17 states that “…the former will not be remembered, nor come into mind.” In that wonderful day, we will have no more memory of sin’s devastation on our lives. I find this especially comforting since there are a multitude of Christians who have a hard time letting go of the poor decisions that they have made in the past.

But furthermore, I believe that this touches on a grander scale. Each year we are reminded of the atrocities that occurred on September 11th, 2001. We are reminded that religious fanatics murdered 3,000 innocent people, and we pause briefly to relive the sorrowful effects it had on our lives that day. I believe there is coming a day when we will not have to relive the horrific effects sin has had on our life anymore, no matter what tragedy you’ve weathered in live.

Verse 18 states: “…for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” I believe this tells us that there will be no more sour fellowship. Today we have ‘irreconcilable differences’, divorce, disputes, and disharmony……and, even though it sounds like I am describing the lost world, I’m only referring to those within the Body of Christ. What a tragedy that we can’t get along and we constantly fight and fuss, but what a blessing it will be in that day when there will be unhindered, unbroken fellowship between us all.

Verse 19 declares that God will “…rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” I don’t have to go into the storied history of the Jewish people for you to realize that there has been intense persecution of the people of God since the very beginning. What a blessing it will be in that day to have no more adversaries who launch terrible persecutions towards God’s chosen people.

But this goes a bit further to touch even you and I. In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul teaches how that Gentile believers were grafted into the Body of Christ. In other words, we who are not Jewish are taken under the wing, so to speak, and brought into the fellowship through the blood of Christ. And certainly we can see that this is true from the book of Acts where Peter first extended the Gospel to the Gentiles and they received it (Acts 10).

Today it is estimated that somewhere upwards of 160,000 Christians give their lives as martyrs for the sake of the advancement of the Gospel. You don’t hear that stat on the regular news media. It is a stated fact that there is an intense persecution against anyone who will name the name of Christ, but it is also a stated fact that there is coming a day when we will not have to worry about persecution anymore.

Verse 20 tells of a time when there will be justice in life. For example, it tells us that there will be no more infants who die shortly after they are born. I’ve had the unfortunate duty of officiating a funeral of a precious little child who was taken to Heaven shortly after birth. It is an especially sobering experience to stand next to a casket that is no bigger than a large shoebox and see the faces of that child’s parents looking to you, hoping to hear some words of comfort. It is unjust. It is wrong. It is out of order. No parent should have to bury their child, no matter how old or young they are.

We have words of comfort that we give in the here and now to help us to cope. One passage of Scripture that I have especially taken comfort in is Zechariah 8, verses 4 & 5:

“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.”

What a blessing to know that the natural process of death will one day be extended and the man or woman that is 100 years old will be as agile and have as much energy as a 5-year old, and they shall be considered “young” who make it to 100. No more arthritis, cholesterol, blood pressure, migraines, or feebleness.

Verses 21 and 22 speak of the people dwelling in safety and security. I know I’m a bit old-fashioned for my age, but I remember a time when you didn’t have to wonder in the middle of the night if you had locked the door or not. We had a measure of innocence at that time. Today, we spend billions of dollars annually on security systems, security personnel, firearms to protect and defend our home, lighting to light up the night, etc. Praise God there will soon be a day when we can dwell in peace and safety.

But these verses also state “…they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them…they shall not plant, and another eat…” I believe this tells us that we will one day enjoy the fruits of our labor. Life today moves at such a rapid pace that we really don’t have time to enjoy what we work hard for. We are “connected” at all times. Cell phones, the internet, and the 24/7 news cycle keep us so pumped up on current events and status changes that at the end of the day we feel like there should be 27 hours in a day rather than 24 so that we can get everything done.

Ecclesiastes 5:18 says “It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.” God’s original plan was for us to work hard, but to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. There is coming a day when we won’t be rushed, and we can enjoy all of the blessings He bestows upon us.

These are but just a few of the great promises that we have that we can place our hope and trust in. When we walk through this life and encounter trouble, just remember that the system that we now live in is fallen and broken because of sin. In that glorious day it will be when we no longer have to face the devastating effects that sin has had on our world and on our own lives.

And when you’re weary………these things can offer great hope.