We all experience feelings of hopelessness. For some it might be the angst associated with financial struggles. For others it may be relational brokenness that shows no signs of healing. Still others face the emotional strife and despair brought on from physical ailments or upsetting diagnoses.
For the people of Israel it was the threat of living as exiles in Babylonian captivity. In the midst of their anguish, God would speak a word of encouragement to his people through his prophet Isaiah. His message was one of comfort, identifying those facing exile as “[His] People.” With tender words, the heavenly Father would reassure his children that regardless of their circumstances he would see and understand their suffering, and that ultimately, he would bring about their restoration. What Israel didn’t know, however, was that threaded in the prophecy was an infinitely greater promise.
“Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness;
make a straight highway for our God in the desert…
And the glory of the Lord will appear,
and all humanity together will see it.”
God was ultimately providing the solution for a problem far greater than their physical captivity. In the foretold arrival of the glory of the Lord, made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ, God was addressing his people’s spiritual captivity. The same is true for us. We, like Israel, are no longer hopeless, held captive by the penalty of our sin and rebellion against God. Christ, the hope of the world, has indeed come to set the captives free.
Starter Prayer
Father,
I confess I often struggle with feelings of hopelessness. I know this is a result of me taking my eyes off you and bearing my burdens on my own. Help me to place all of my trust and all of my hope in your son, Jesus Christ. I know he is trustworthy and he is the only hope of the world.
Amen.
Amen.
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