Jesus is Our Only Hope

I (Carmen) recently traveled to Calgary for the General Assembly of the Alliance Canada. It was a week full of great connections with friends and colleagues who minister and serve across Canada and around the world. One of the themes that the Holy Spirit seemed to be highlighting for me throughout the week was that Jesus only must be our hope. I was challenged by this phrase as theologically I agree, however, in the ways that I pray, live, and interact with others, I recognized that Jesus is not always the direction to which my hope is oriented. When I pray, do I ask for alternate solutions, or believe that Jesus is the best and only hope for that circumstance? When I talk with others and listen for the Spirit’s direction, do I offer Jesus as the source of hope for what they are facing? In my own life, do I trust in myself first, and Jesus second?

I heard a story of a young couple with toddler who had converted from Islam to Christianity in a country that is closed to Christianity. The storyteller saw them and asked, “What hope does this child have growing up in a country that persecutes Christians?” The child’s parents responded, “Jesus is the only hope for our nation.” Not U.N. peacekeepers. Not politicians. Not revolution. Only Jesus.

As I returned from the week away, with this message ringing clearly in my head, Jeremy and I made a quick stop at the mall in Kelowna. There we fell into a conversation with a salesperson that quickly turned to spiritual matters and the disappointments she had experienced in life and faith. The Spirit is so kind in showing us His activity when we have eyes to see and ears to hear. We listened, and then encouraged her to continue pursuing Jesus, perhaps even by joining us at the Forge sometime. We couldn’t have made that conversation happen. Only Jesus.

Ask Jesus to reveal where He is at work in the lives of people around you. Who needs to hear the hope that can be found in Jesus, only Jesus?