The drive to church this past Sunday was done in the midst of a gray, dreary morning. The drizzling rain on the windshield and the road did not provide a cheerful environment. But as I drove and contemplated on those surroundings I was reminded of what was in the backseat of my car. A bag. Inside the bag was a notebook. Inside the notebook was a sermon entitled Waiting with Hope. Also inside the notebook was an order of worship with a small graphic of a small solitary lit candle. A candle symbolizing Hope.
Life has its share of gray, dreary days. Sometimes those days stretch into weeks, months, even years. Yet in this journey of life we travel with a solitary light of Hope inside us. It sometimes shines so dim, that we can barely see it glimmer in the dark. But it is always there. We may try to distinguish it (consciously or subconsciously) with our doubts, worries, fears, anger, depression, or anxieties. Yet, while we are doing that there is a counter force hard at work keeping the flames of Hope lit inside us. The Holy Spirit is there tending to that fire.
I thought of all the survivalist shows I’ve seen where people build fires with tiny twigs and dry grass. Tenderly blowing small puffs of air when a small hint of smoke appears until the flame begins to brighten wherein they can blow stronger gusts of encouragement and add more and more kindling until the fire blazes strong and bright.
If you are experiencing a season of life marked by dark and dreary days, I pray that you will hold on to that promise of Hope. The light may be small. It may seemed tucked away in the backseat hiding in a notebook inside a bag that seems out of reach at the moment. Hold on to the promise that it is there. Trust that God through the work of the Holy Spirit is hard at work tending and breathing life into the flame even in those moments you don’t feel like you can contribute to the work. But as you can, pray, worship, read the Scripture. In doing so you can help add kindling to the fire and enable it to burn bright within you.
Notes from a Book Nerd 