Hope … out of Hopelessness… (April 2020 Update)
Nothing is worse than a feeling of hopelessness! When the doctor comes out of the operating room and says, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing more we can do.” It is a feeling of hopelessness. Sometimes, we have tried everything and nothing works – in fact, things even got worse. And this feeling of hopelessness can overwhelm us. That’s how the disciples felt on the sabbath after Jesus was crucified. They had put all their hopes on Jesus. Not just their hopes – the hope of Israel and the hope of all mankind rested in the person of Jesus. But now, all those hopes were gone. Their long-awaited Messiah was dead. Their teacher and their friend was in the tomb. All hope was lost!
That’s how all the disciples and the followers of Jesus felt after the crucifixion. We see this most clearly in Luke 24. Luke records the encounter of Jesus with two disciples on the Emmaus Road on the first Easter morning. They were talking about the events that had just occurred and they were sad, they were discouraged, they were without hope (Luke 24:17). But they had a glimmer of hope – some women had returned from the tomb and said the tomb was open and the body was gone. The women even said that an angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead! (Luke 24:22-24).
Then the risen Christ spoke to them. And his words and his presence gave them hope … even out of their hopelessness. How?
First, hope was found in the Scriptures. In Luke 24:25-27, Jesus reminded them about the prophecies and pointed them to the Scriptures: He said to them,
How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Jesus pointed them to the Word of God and its veracity and its unfailing accuracy. He reminded them of the various prophecies, especially about the death and resurrection of the Messiah. And the Word of God gave them hope.
When people are discouraged and without hope, we need to point them to the unfailing Word of God. In God’s Word, there are not only fulfilled prophecies (that demonstrate the infallibility of the Scriptures), but there are promises and encouragements for us for every situation. The Word of God reminds us that, even though things might seem bleak now, even those there appears to be no solution, even though all hope seems to be lost, our hope is not based upon these realities but upon the unfailing Word of God. So, even in death – when the doctor says, “there is nothing more we can do” – it is not hopeless. For we know that there is still hope – a hope that does not disappoint – that reaches even beyond the grave. And the unfailing Word of God reminds about this (and many other promises) that bring hope even out of hopelessness because we have a risen Savior!
Second, hope was found in fellowship with the risen Christ (Luke 24:28-32). Fellowship with Christ on a regular (daily) basis is essential for hope in our lives. We used to say, “Happiness in life depends on what is happening; but joy in our lives depends on Jesus in our lives.” Spending time with Jesus is one way to turn hopelessness into hope. The disciples on the Emmaus Road experienced this as Jesus walked and talked with them. They did not want this to end so they invited him to come and stay with them for the evening. Interestingly, the passage says the “urged him strongly.” They wanted more fellowship with him.
We often try many things to restore our hope but one thing matters more than all the rest – spending time with Jesus. His presence comforts us and encourages us even when it seems like there are no answers to be found. And sometimes, honestly, there are no answers to be found. Sometimes we just must go through this trial or difficulty. In those times, especially in those times, we can only find hope in the presence of Jesus. If you want your hope to grow, make sure you spend time with Jesus!
Third, hope was found in sharing with others (Luke 24:33-35). Jesus gave them hope for a purpose. Certainly, it was to encourage them personally, but the hope that Jesus gives is not only for our benefit. It is so that we can give hope to others. Paul understood this. He tells the church at Corinth:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).
These Emmaus Road disciples were encouraged by the Word of God and the presence of Jesus. And “they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem” to share with the disciples and other followers of Jesus. Their hopelessness was changed to hope and their hope increased as they shared with others too!
Fourth, hope was found in little proofs (Luke 24:36-43). While they were talking about these things, Jesus appeared to them. He then encouraged them to check out the evidence – he was not a ghost – he was risen from the dead! I am (unfortunately) an empiricist at heart. I struggle to take things by faith. I prefer to see the proof. Luke does not record that, after this visit, Jesus returned again the following week and spoke specifically to Thomas who was not present the week before. Thomas wanted proof and Jesus gave it to him (John 20:24-29)! In Acts 1:3, we are reminded that Jesus appeared to his followers many times over a period of 40 days with “many infallible proofs.” And Paul even tells us that Jesus appeared to over 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6).
Fortunately, God gives us (especially those of us that have trouble believing) many proofs. We have many proofs in the scriptures through fulfilled prophecies and through the eyewitness accounts that are recorded. We have other proofs through human history of the providence and protection of God in many hopeless situations. God often gives us what I would call “little proofs” – not totally convincing, not absolute proofs – but little proofs – to strengthen our faith and to give us hope even when all seems hopeless!
Finally, hope was found in the commission of Christ (Luke 24:45-49). After appearing to the disciples, Jesus pointed them again to the Scriptures and reminded them that the Messiah would rise on the third day and that “repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” In other words, their hope would be made full as they shared this good news with others so that they too could experience forgiveness and the hope of eternal life through Jesus!
But he did not leave them on their own. In verse 49, he reminded them that he would send the Holy Spirit who would give them the power and strength to be his witnesses in any situation.
The resurrection of Jesus is our hope. Even in the worst situation, even when death is inevitable and unavoidable, believers can have hope in the midst of hopelessness because “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
Charles Spurgeon once said,
The very happiest persons I have ever met with have been departing believers, the only people for whom I have felt any envy have been dying members of this very church, whose hands I have grasped in their passing away, almost without exception, I have seen in them holy delight and triumph and in the expectations to this, and in the exceptions to this exceeding joy, I’ve seen deep peace exhibited in a calm and deliberate readiness to enter into the presence of their God.
Today, in this present crisis, many are wondering if there is any hope. But Jesus rose from the dead conquering sin and death! We have hope – even if the mountains will fall into the seas (Psalm 46:2) – we will not fear. Because our hope rests not on circumstances around us but on Christ who has conquered sin and death for us – bringing Hope out of Hopelessness!
Teaching …
Everything changed one week before our Master’s level class, Research and Writing for Biblical Counseling was to begin. Everything in Ukraine had to be shut down due to the Coronavirus quarantine. The seminary (along with other schools and businesses) had to shut down during the quarantine. We had a decision to make with class one week away. We decided to transform the class to an online class. Natalie Tereschenko and I started working on this. I started recording lectures and Natalie’s husband, Sergei (also a former student) went to work translating and converting the lectures to video and PowerPoint presentations. It was a lot of work especially getting ready for the first week. We are still working on converting the class, staying a couple of days ahead of the dates the students needed access. But it seems to be going well. But we are all very tired.
And, now, while we are still working on this course, I need to create and set up our class for May since we will still be under quarantine then. So I am working on our class from March, and grading papers from the class every week while I am in the process of getting everything ready for the next class. Pray for my time that I can get everything finished on time (and get some rest too!).
Continue to pray for me too as I meet with various potential teachers that I can train and mentor over the next 3-4 years. I have already met with 3 and they are willing to work with me over the next few years so they can prepare to teach the classes if we return to the states for retirement as we are hoping. I am still needing to met with and work with at least 3 other potential teachers sometime in the next year.
My Health …
My health continues to improve. I am walking every day and walking further distances each week. I’m still struggling on hills and stairs but not as much as before. I have a plethora of other physical issues that are on hold for now while we wait for the quarantine to end. When it is over, I will be doing follow-up with my colon, prostrate and lungs. Thanks for praying for me and my strength.
Family Break …
Since we had not had a vacation in over a year, we decided to make a last minute run to the mountains in hopes of having some snow and giving Katya a chance to ski. Since it was late in the season, we were able to find a room at the resort right on the slopes that included breakfast for only about $50/night! And lift tickets for Katya were under $10/day. That’s hard to beat.
We were especially blessed to find a lot of snow still on the mountain and it even snowed one night while we were there. Best of all, the temperatures were just above freezing in the day so the weather was really enjoyable. Each day while Katya skied, I went sled riding with the girls. They had a blast! Then we found out that children’s ski lessons were very inexpensive, so the girls had 3 ski lessons the last two days. They loved it!
On the way home, we stayed at a very old hotel and then visited a castle not far from the hotel the next day. On our drive home, we saw an unusual restaurant called the Big Yellow Airplane. It was really cute and the food was not bad either. In all, it was a great trip and great timing as we returned home to being under a nationwide quarantine.
But the quarantine has not kept us from enjoying our time together as a family. The weather has warmed up a little bit so the girls have been riding bikes and drawing street art for everyone to see. School continues daily as always and the girls are both reading and enjoying correcting papa whenever he skips a word in a book now! Each evening, we are still reading a chapter from the Chronicles of Narnia. This month we finished “A Horse and His Boy.” I think this is the first time I’ve ever read this story, so I enjoyed it as much as the girls. And the girls love cooking and dancing and lighting some sparklers left over from New Years.
We miss being able to travel home to visit but we still get to have some time to talk with my children and grandchildren by Skype. We do live in difficult times, but we also realize that we are blessed to live in a time with such technology that allows me to teach students during a quarantine as well as talk regularly with my family in the states.
Financial Needs …
Every month, God surprises us with His provisions. This month, we had two unexpected gifts that really helped us financially. But we know that we really need to add 3-5 new families to get our support level back up to its previous level. We know this will be an especially difficult time for people in America with all the job cut-backs and job loses. This is one reason we are asking you to prayer for our financial support. We need to be sure we can get our support level back to in case some other families need to reduce support during these times.
Pray for Ukraine …
Thank you for praying for Ukraine. Due to the Coronavirus, Ukraine is basically in a lockdown right now. There are no flights in or out of the country and very limited access across our borders. All schools, restaurants and other public places are closed. All mass transport is shut down completely. Most people are working at home if they can work at all. Shoppers are only admitted to stores after their temperature is checked (by thermal thermometer) and even then only a limited number at a time. Everyone is required to wear a mask in public and we cannot be outside in groups larger than 2 (excluding children) and children under 14 must be with their parents. There are huge fines for breaking these orders. Our quarantine has been extended until April 24th now and they are talking about extending it until May 18. We only have 23 deaths so far so maybe it is helping.
Forgotten in all this is the war that is still going on in the East. The Russian-backed forces continue to attack Ukraine daily even though almost everything else has shut down in Ukraine. But evil never takes a break!
Also, please continue to pray for our students and graduates who are ministering in areas that are directly affected by the quarantine. Most of our churches have switched to online services and meetings and this seems to be working fairly well. Even missionaries that we support who are doing campus ministries are continuing to reach out to many through online resources. Many are open to spiritual matters in difficult times like these.
Thank you again for your support and your prayers. We know we have a difficult time ahead in the next few months, just like everyone else in the world. But pray for encouragement for missionaries in the world (not just us). There are many more difficulties when you are serving in a foreign country when that country is under quarantine. We have friends and missionaries serving in Italy, China, Spain and other seriously affected countries. Missionaries not only face the difficulties of living and ministering under a quarantine, they also feel helpless and separated from their families in the states as they read about what is happening in the US right now. But, as we celebrate Easter this month, we are reminded of the resurrection and of the fact that God brings hope out of hopelessness! May you rejoice with us – He is risen; He is risen indeed!
By His Grace
Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia
Teaching Resources International 