Prophets And Hope

The world today is in a very sorry mess. There are more things to be unhappy about than there are to be joyful. If there was indeed a good and all-loving God, one is tempted to ask, “Why doesn’t God fix it?” If I were him, I’d probably say, “Abort! Abort!” I would rain down fire and brimstone on this terrible mess, burn it to ashes and then wash it all away with one gigantic tsunami.

But our God is a God of second chances. God respects our free will. He will allow us to make decisions. And he constantly tells us, “You are worth one more try.” And more than just one time, he has shown that he can draw out goodness out of the most horrible situation.

God sends messengers who constantly remind us to repent, turn back away from our sinful ways, return to God’s loving embrace. But quite often, they are not believed and when their message becomes so believable, they can be no longer ignored, they are arrested and killed. They are called prophets:

A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

And through out the ages, the prophets also proclaim what God has in store for us:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

These are no promises of wealth, power and fame. But the fulfillment of what make us human. This is the foundation of my hope.