The In Between

Sometimes hope comes easy. Sometimes hope is hard. Sometimes hope appears lost.

Psalms 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.

Sometimes life seems hard. There are many circumstances that come at us that can make it difficult to stay hopeful. Believe me I fully understand. I have had my share of heartache and frustration just like everybody else. Sometimes I feel like I got the short end of the stick when it comes to disappointment. It seems to me that when I look around at other people they are always smiling and everything always seems to come up roses. They do not seem to have all the problems that hit me. They do not seem to have all the disappointments that bombard me. Family members are well adjusted. Their financial problems seem to be nonexistent. So believe me when I tell you I understand it is hard to stay hopeful sometimes.

Psalms 31:24 tells us to let our heart take courage. This scripture is not talking to everybody. This scripture is talking to those who hope in the Lord!

Matthew 26:47-56 47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” 55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

If we read further on or if we know our bible, we know that all the disciples fled and scattered. They forsook Jesus and ran to hide. Jesus was not surprised about this. In fact, he told Peter before hand that he would deny him. All the disciples forsook him. They all fled. These are the very people who walked with Jesus daily. They were now in the place in between.

They knew who Jesus was! They knew with all assurance that Jesus Christ was their Lord! They had walked with Him. They had talked with him. They had witnessed many miraculous signs! They were there when Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves feeding many with much left over! They were with him on the boat when he calmed the seas. They were with him when he healed the sick. They were with him when he restored the sight of the blind. They were present when he cast demons out of people. They believed he was who he said he was. They placed all their hope in him. The disciples are a lot like us.

Then suddenly all their hopes were dashed! Suddenly they looked at the situation with their own understanding, with their physical eyes and things did not seem to be going as they had planned. How many times do we do the very same thing? We think events in our life should go a certain way. How many times have you thought Jesus was going to deliver you out of a situation a certain way, but it didn’t happen the way you thought? Maybe you had to go through some things you did not want to go through.

Here all the disciples did not expect that their Lord would be taken. These events just shook their very understanding and they were in shock! What would they do now? Where would they go? Who was going to help them? Who could they turn to now? In their minds Jesus could not help them, he had just been arrested. I know I am not the only person who gets a little shaken when situations do not go as I thought they would. I am sure I am not the only person who has on occasion felt let down.

In the book of Mark we are told that in the third hour they crucified him. That is about nine am. Then Mark tells us that when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. So that is from approximately noon until three pm. So they started out shocked. Maybe they were a little confused. How could this happen? I can imagine that from nine until noon they probably expected something to happen to turn the situation around. I can imagine they felt hopeful for a few hours. Then the reality sets in around noon when the whole land gets dark, that this is really going to happen. Their hope is about to die nailed to a cross. For the next three hours they are in darkness.

When you are in darkness you are feeling hopeless. This is the in between. This is the time between hope and belief. This the time of confusion. A time of thoughts running rampant. A time of trying to figure out what to do. A time of trying to see the big picture. A time of reflection. Darkness grips you….

Then we are told that at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, Lama sabachthani. Which is interpreted as My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me? To the disciples now is the time when all hope seems lost. They are blinded by darkness and all seems lost. Remember the disciples had walked with Jesus for three years and now in a matter of hours it appeared to be over. For six hours they watched their hope nailed to a tree. Imagine their shock and disbelief! His mother watched as her son hung on the cross! Imagine what she must have been thinking about while she watched her son on the cross.

Luke 1:28-33 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that are highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women. (29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. (30) And the angel said unto her, fear not, May: for thou has found favor with God. (31) and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. (32) He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Can you imagine the thoughts that must have been going through Mary’s mind? He would reign for ever and his kingdom would have no end? How is that going to happen? Darkness and hopelessness. Things surely were not working out the way anybody would have expected. They were there in darkness watching their hope die. They were all in the in between place. That place where hope has died and the belief for something better. Darkness grips us and can incapacitate us. That place where all seems lost. Where it seems there is not a positive solution. Where it feels as if you are going to die from hopelessness and darkness.

Then what happens? We are told that Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb on the third day. She sees that the tomb is empty. Quickly she runs to spread the latest developments. She tells everyone that the tomb is empty. She tells them they took Jesus. So basically they took the last bit of hope she had. He was gone. Now everybody runs to the tomb. They all see that the body of Jesus is gone. In a panic they all run back to the city. All except Mary Magdalene. She stays. She stays in the last place she saw Jesus. She stays where she is and Jesus revealed himself to her.

In an instant all her hope is back. For those who ran back to the city they were still living in darkness. Mary had hope. Mary had seen Jesus. Her hope had been restored. What seemed impossible had happened! Christ rose from the dead and revealed himself to Mary.

We are coming into a time when we will need to hang on to all the hope we can. We all need to stay with Jesus. Do not run away. Do not allow the darkness to over take you. Christ told us what to look out for. He told us what the future would look like. He told us that all would go through things. He told us to hold on to hope. If you have walked away from Jesus because you lost your hope. I urge you to reconsider your decision. Call on Jesus. He wants to reveal himself to you in a fresh way. He wants to chase the darkness out of your circumstances and give you hope. Will you call on him today?