He Is Our Hope and Strength

“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” (Joe 3:16 AV)

 

The power of the underlined portion lies in the context in which it is stated.  The context of Joel is the judgment on an unbelieving and rebellious world for rejecting Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior.  The valley of decision spoken of earlier is the valley where the battle of Armageddon will be fought.  Prior to this cataclysmic battle, there will be seven years of unbelievable judgments on the world as a means to turn them toward repentance.  Amid all this turmoil, the children of Israel who have trusted in Christ as their Messiah are encouraged to remember the LORD is their hope and strength when their world seems to be turned upside down.

Trouble will come.  Hard times are a part of being human.  Death is inevitable and all that death brings with it cannot be avoided.  There are times of sorrow for the child of God.  There are times of deep trial for the child of God.  I do not have enough room in this little entry to begin to list all my wife and I have gone through over the past 36 years.  Our life is no different than anyone else’s.  There are times we may think that might be the case.  But it is not.  Each of us has those things that turn our world upside down.  A deathly sick child or a child that rebels against God and pays a heavy price.  Perhaps someone has lost their job and struggled to make ends meet.  Maybe there were hard times of adjustment in a marital relationship.  Perhaps there was a struggle to keep up a house, pay the bills, or keep the utilities on.  We think our experiences are unique, but they are not.  They are all part of living in a fallen world.  Sometimes these experiences come like a watershed.  One after another and we don’t know how we will ever survive.  I have had a couple of those times.  The death of two close friends, my mother, and the parting of all of my children at the same time all came within months of one another.  My world radically changed in a few short months.  It was my tribulation.  I remember those days but I also remember that in time, God was able to heal me and make me stronger.  These times are common.  We are never prepared for them.  Even though some of these events are a foregone conclusion, when they happen, we are almost surprised.  It is when our world is turned upside down that we need to be reminded that God is our hope and our strength.

Israel will survive the Great Tribulation.  In part because they will be met in the wilderness and cared for by God Himself.  This does not mean their situation will be trouble-free.  They will still suffer some of the effects of global judgment.  Just as they did in Egypt, the faithful will endure some aftereffects of God’s hand on the unbeliever.  They cannot expect to live problem-free even when God is right there with them.  But, they can and will have Him as their hope and strength.  They will make it through.  And You will, too.  The God of Israel is the same as the God of the Christian.  He is one and the same.  Israel may be God’s people, but the church is the assembly of God’s children.  If God loves His people unconditionally and actively, imagine what He feels toward you!  I am learning this truth more and more as I write.  Our current situation will never get better.  At least physically speaking.  But we have a hope.  It is the hope of eternal life and the strength of His ever-abiding presence that gets us through day by day.  There are days we forget this.  There are moments when we are overwhelmed and we forget our hope and strength.  Forgetfulness does not change reality.  He is still there.  He is still the God of our hope and strength and always will be.