A GLIMMER OF HOPE
During his seven years as a POW in the notorious “Hanoi Hilton” Vietnamese prison camp, Brigadier General Robbie Risner spent ten months in isolation and total darkness. But during that time, he discovered the power of hope.
When the enemy boarded up his tiny seven-by-seven-foot cell, shutting out the light, he wondered if he would make it. Risner spent his days exercising and praying. But at times, he could do nothing but scream. Not wanting to give his captors the pleasure of knowing they’d broken him, he stuffed clothing into his mouth, as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
One day situated near the floor, he found a vent that let in outside air. Putting his eye next to the vent, he viewed a faint glimmer of light. Glimpsing through it, he saw a single blade of grass. Staring at the sight, he experienced a surge of joy he hadn’t known for a very long time. “It represented life, growth, and freedom,” he later said. “And I knew God hadn’t forgotten me.” (Source: Steve Goodier)
As we enter the new year, perhaps some of us are feeling like General Risner—struggling with the darkness in our world and wondering where the light is. Whether it’s our health, the economy, our political mess, family issues, or all of the above, we need a glimmer of hope. Here it is. First Peter 1:3-4 states, “God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on.” (CEV)
If we’ve lost hope, maybe we’re putting our hope in the wrong thing. Search the Bible from cover to cover, and you’ll never find even the smallest hint that we should place our hope in anything this world offers—whether power, pleasure, prosperity, or popularity. Such will only lead to emptiness and frustration.
Jesus gives us so much more than a glimmer of hope. He is the “light of the world” (John 8:12), the “bread of life” (John 6:35), “living water” (John 4:10), and the “resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). What else do we need?
What lies ahead for us in 2023? It may be the best year of our lives, the worst, or somewhere in-between. But this we can know. Jesus is our source of hope—and he will sustain us in the year ahead.
Principle: Only Jesus offers us the hope we need.
Ponder:
Other than Jesus, where are you tempted to place your hope?
How can I place my hope in Jesus in the year ahead?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study First Peter 1:3-9.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the hope you offer. In the year ahead, please help me resist the temptation to find hope in the things of this world, and keep my focus on you.
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