We Had Hoped

Luke 24:13-35

Lost hope can be devastating. It is one thing to be in the middle of hopefulness and waiting and another to be on the other side of the wait, a hope unfulfilled. When my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I had hope to fight the cancer. We all did. We would do whatever it took to fight and we were hopeful because we were near the best cancer hospital in the world and had the best team of doctors, tailor fit for him. I even wrote him a card, begging him to keep fighting. What I did not realize is that he had no fight in him. He was never given the option.

One of my prayers was for one more Christmas with my dad. I asked others to pray this prayer with me. He died one week before Christmas and we buried him on December 23, 2014.

Lost hope. Many of us are familiar with it. The hysterectomy that leads to the lost hope of bearing a child. The silent phone that leads to the lost hope of a job. The death the tells us we will not see or talk to our friend again. When something is hoped for and lost, our hearts take a blow. Our sadness, our disappointment, our confusion lead the way. We waited for rescue and it never came. What do we do after lost hope?

Two men walked the road of lost hope after Jesus’ death. They had hoped Jesus would be their rescue from a tyrannical government and the one who would bring salvation. Yet he died. And when Jesus died, hope died with him.

These men literally and figuratively walked the road of confusion and disappointment. Little did they know; another person would join them on this road. A person who would remind them of God’s promises and return hope they could never dream of.

Excerpt from "Pray As You Are". Anticipated publication date of April 2018