Hope... When I Least Expected It.

Sometimes, the greatest commodity that I have as a Christ follower is hope.

Things feel pretty hopeless sometimes. Recently, I've been working on trying to get some school stuff in order, and I feel like I'm just getting sent in circles, and it's getting frustrating. In looking at my life, I am coming to the realization that I had drastically different hopes for where I'd be as a person, spiritually, emotionally, etc., and I'm having to come to terms with the fact that things may not work out the way I had really planned. Lots of stuff is going great for me right now, that's for sure. I'm experiencing some great blessing. But I am also letting some other stuff in my life personally, spiritually, and emotionally get me down.

I was reading in Matthew 24 recently, and I was totally blindsided by something. Jesus is talking about when He will come back for His followers, and He makes the comparison between His coming and a watchman staying up, looking out for would be thieves. Just like the watchman stays awake, ready for thieves, followers of Jesus need to "stay awake" and "be alert," making sure they are living in a way that honors God, not slipping into patterns of sin.

And right after making this point, Jesus drops one of the most refreshing things I've read in a long time: "The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44, esv).

I was struck by the beauty of that statement. You can read it in two ways. One is reading from the perspective of a person who is not following Christ; essentially saying, "Oh crap! I'd better live right so that I'm ready for God when He comes!" This is the perspective of preparing so as to avoid punishment.

But the other way to read this simple verse (the way that just made sense to me tonight) is from the perspective of a person who is living the right life and is struggling with it; from the person who is undergoing persecution because they are trying to live for Jesus in a world that is fallen and messed up, where people get hurt for doing the right thing, where people die, and relationships are broken, amidst a whole host of other things.

For these people, Jesus will come at the hour they least expect it.

When things seem dark.

When all hope is lost.

When you just don't think you can take it any longer.

"The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

I don't know where you are today, or what you are going through and experiencing, but I know that that brings hope to me and my soul. I hope it does for you too.