May 07 2024 2 mins
Isaiah 42:4b
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.
What are you hoping for today? This month? This year? Our hopes may be huge – an end to the pandemic, a miracle cure for us or someone we love, world peace. But we all also hope for all kinds of smaller things – making it through the day without losing our temper, finding a parking space when we’re running late. Most of our hopes are pretty flimsy. They’re things we WANT but we can’t have any great confidence that they will really happen. So often, what we hope for is beyond our control. Sometimes, we may give up hope entirely, overwhelmed by cynicism or despair because we can’t face the prospect of having our hopes raised only to be disappointed.
The people of Isaiah’s day were much the same as us. Squeezed on all sides by more powerful nations, they regularly faced decisions about where to put their hope – would they depend on their God to defend and deliver them, or would they trust in their own resources – military might, or political alliances with their neighbours? Into that world, God promises to send a Servant who will bring hope. His teaching will offer true and lasting hope to the islands – that is, not just to God’s people but to the whole earth.
This hope is more than the wishful thinking that makes us long for parking spaces and miracles cures that deep down we don’t expect to get. The words of Jesus give us a hope that is steadfast and certain. The writer of the book of Hebrews describes this hope as ‘an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’ It’s a hope we can lean all our weight on. Jesus’ teaching gives us unshakeable hope for the future, because Jesus’ life and death have guaranteed for us a place in heaven with him forever. Not only that, but we have hope for each day in this life, because Jesus promises that he is with us to lead and protect and sustain us, as we trust in him. This is a hope we can rely on. Such good news that all the world needs to hear it. However hopeless our circumstances feel right now, however often our other hopes have been crushed, the hope that Jesus offers will never fail us.
So today, let’s praise Jesus for the hope that he brings to our lives. And let’s ask him to help us to put our hope and trust completely in him, for whatever today holds, and for our eternity.