Unshakable Hope

- Pastor Jason Briesacher

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.” – Psalm 62:5-6 (NLT)

I woke up every night for months with the same nightmare. It engaged me every waking moment, and I was powerless to do anything except pray.

Months before, we felt God was leading us toward another child. He promised us a girl. As a dad of two boys, we wanted to ensure the Lord’s blessing, so we prayed and felt His confirmation. We prayed about the specific day we should try to have the baby. Because God had promised us a girl, we wanted to ensure that we were involving Him in every planning step.

When we told our oldest son my wife was pregnant, God used him to confirm the news of twins. Ronin, who was five, said, “There are two babies, a boy and a girl.” He wanted to name them R2-D2 and C-3PO, so that was the end of his involvement. We had our first ultrasound a few weeks later, and two heartbeats were beating in time together.

That’s when the nightmares started. Sadie, the promised gift from God, was fine, but her brother, Jude, passed away during delivery. Before I awoke every morning, the enemy reminded me that God had promised us Sadie but not Jude. This sent my anxiety through the roof.

In moments when we feel low, and hope is nowhere to be found, we look to Jesus Christ, the source of our hope and the evidence of God’s faithfulness.

Every morning, after a terrible nightmare, Chris Tomlin's song “Our God” would be on my heart. If you haven’t heard it, I would strongly encourage you to take a moment to listen to it.

Every time during the day that I was worried about Jude, that song would play randomly. Once, I was driving in a car with no stereo, and my phone didn't have music on it, and I was worried for Jude. A car pulled up next to me, and that song played through their open windows. The song reminded me that God is greater, stronger, awesome in power, and a healer. There is nothing too complicated for Him. It was a gentle reminder to put my hope in Him daily.

Jude was born bigger than Sadie, healthy, and vibrant. Sadie was the promise, and Jude the blessing. He is my Ebenezer, the physical reminder of God’s faithfulness and where my hope comes from.

Make a Difference:

Hope is a powerful thing. As you pray about a problematic circumstance today that has seemingly lost hope, remind yourself that our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. On Christ, the solid rock we stand; all other ground is sinking sand.

As You Read:

Remember the struggle that Israel is going through during this time in the Bible. Struggle isn’t evidence of God abandoning them; it’s a reminder that He is our hope for a miraculous resolution.