HOPE Larry W Peebles June 26, 2020 20.23
Three times a month for 17 years my wife and I walked into a seemingly hopeless situation. We ministered in the Hillsborough County (Tampa) Florida Juvenile Justice System. We came into the maximum security facility at 7 pm, and left at 8:15 so the clients could shower and get to bed for the night. We had a short time to make a difference in these young people’s lives.
Some were locked up because they had been arrested and charged, and were waiting a court appearance. Others had been to court, and were waiting to receive their sentence. Depending on severity, circumstances, and previous record, this could range from probation to jail time. The older ones who had committed serious crimes could be tried as adults. They all were afraid of the outcome.
While all their individual cases varied, there were general similarities. Maybe one or both parents were out of the picture, either by abandonment or death. Some did not know their parents. Family structure and security was limited or non-existent. In some cases the parent or authority figure taught them to steal or sell drugs to make a living. Some were in lock-up for the first time; others were in lock-up repeatedly because it provided a safe place to sleep, a few meals and a daily shower.
Many were expelled from schools, some multiple times and were not welcome back. Without family or schools to provide structure and support, they ran with friends (including gangs), and lived on the street. At best, someone might have a praying mother or grandmother behind them. They had been told they were no good, worthless, and trouble-makers. Some were told they never should have even been born. In a downhill spiral fueled by rejection, they hid their feelings and insulated themselves by telling themselves they didn’t need anybody. Under those hopeless circumstances and situations, our job was to bring a message of love and hope. They needed Jesus.
Our current situation of global COVID-19 pandemic, isolation and containment, loss of jobs, economic meltdown, and racial tension compare favorably to the hopelessness we saw in Juvenile Justice. One occasion from those days gives me hope for these days.
On the way to one of those evening meetings, I asked the Lord to give me a message for the young people that night. I felt the Lord say “Talk to them about license plates.” I first thought He was referring to the license plates they would be making in prison if they did not change their lives. That was not it. He wanted me to tell them about what His personal license plate would be if He drove a car.
That presented an interesting thought. What would the God and Creator of heaven and earth and everything in it choose for a personal license plate? Would it be Yahweh, Jehovah, King of Kings, Ancient of Days, or perhaps El Shaddai? It all belongs to Him; He could choose whatever He wished. It was none of these. His choice was not about Him; it was about us. God Almighty said to tell those young people locked up in Juvenile Justice that His choice for His personal license plate was these four characters—I M 4 U. I AM for you. There is hope, because God is for us, and not against us. He is with us. The “I AM” (the everlasting God) of the burning bush who spoke to Moses is for us. Jesus said I AM the way, the truth and the life, and I AM the light of the world. That same Jesus is for us.
Over the years, God gave us many powerful and insightful messages of hope for these young people. In spite of overwhelming and difficult circumstances, God broke into their lives in those meetings. Tough gang members would ask for prayer and leave with tears in their eyes. Tightly folded arms expressive of attitude and deafening institutional silence ended in singing, laughing and crying. God knew them and knew of their situation. He came with love and hope. This was a lesson I would never forget.
These days, and in these circumstances, my thoughts turn back to hope. Hope may be the remedy for today’s ills. The Lord is also saying to operate in a different spirit. When Joshua and Caleb went with 10 other men to spy in the Promised Land, the ten reported that the land was full of giants and fortified cities, and could not be taken (Numbers 13). Joshua and Caleb reported that while the land was full of giants and fortified cities, they could very well take it because God had said they could. The Bible says they were of a “different spirit” (Numbers 14).
Today we need to find our “different spirit”, and believe God. When we feed the flames of faith instead of fear, we will find our hope. His word is eternal, and His promises sure.
From His word, here are 13 scriptures on hope-a baker’s dozen:
- Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
- Colossians 1:27- “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
- Ephesians 1:18- “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
- Hebrews 10:23- “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
- Isaiah 40:31- “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
- Mark 9:23- “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
- Philippians 1:6- “He who began a good work in you will carry it on until completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”
- Psalm 33:18- “The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.”
- Psalm 130:5- “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.”
- Psalm 147:11- “The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”
- Romans 15:13- “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
- 1 Peter 1: 3-6- “Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
- Joshua 10:25- “Joshua said to them ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”
There are more scriptures on hope, and we would do well to find, read and believe them. For those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, hope is not a wishful thought. It is not being oblivious to the reality of the situation. It simply sees a different outcome, as did Joshua and Caleb. Fortified by the ultimate living hope of Christ already in him, the believer’s hope is in the love of God, His word, and His mercy. In these days, if we speak of hope, we will be seen as a different spirit, and we will invoke a change in the surroundings. This small thing can have a great impact. He is our only hope for these times.
I highly recommend a powerful and encouraging worship song available on YouTube entitled “The Blessing” (Elevation Worship-K. Jobe) that emphasizes this hope. It is based on a blessing contained in Numbers 6:24-26. These are the lyrics from the bridge of this song.
May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children and their children.
May His presence go before you
And behind you and beside you
All around you and within you
He is with you He is with you.
In the morning in the evening
In your coming and your going
In your weeping and rejoicing
He is for you He is for you.
