Spreading Hope in Barren Places

When tragedy devastates the landscape of our lives, where can we find hope?

Recently, while traveling in Alaska, I rode past an area that had been ravaged by wildfire.  The spruce trees that once dominated the landscape had been reduced to charred skeletons. But the sight that kept my camera clicking was the beautiful blanket of fuchsia fireweed growing under those burned trees.

Fireweed is a tall, slender wildflower, bursting with brilliant pink petals. In areas devastated by forest fires or volcanos, fireweed is one of the first plants to reappear. The British nicknamed it “bombweed” because it replenished land that was bombed in WWII.

We saw it everywhere in Alaska: lining roadsides, populating meadows, springing up in gardens, and sprouting up in burned areas.

I found out that fireweed is also edible and it’s used to make tea, honey, and jelly. So fireweed provides nourishment.

The fireweed captivated me because of its beauty and usefulness, and also because it reminded me of a time when tragedy wrecked my little world. Without warning, calamity swept in, destroying the life I’d built. Like fireweed, Christian friends and family entered my barren, desolate places and brought help and encouragement.

• They listened.
• They acknowledged my pain.
• They offered practical help in the form of meals, money, tools, and time.
• They encouraged me with the truth of God’s Word and with personal stories of God’s faithfulness.

Through that dark time, I hung on by my fingertips to the one thing I had left: hope. Hope that life wouldn’t always be such a pile of ashes. Hope for better times.

We don’t have to look far to find people suffering immense losses due to natural disasters: tornados, earthquakes, wildfires, storms. For example, where I live in Louisiana, we’re threatened annually by floods and hurricanes. Over the past several years, friends and neighbors have experienced loss as wind and water swept through their homes, leaving behind a muddy, moldy mess.

As you read this, you might know someone experiencing the aftermath of a natural disaster, or— equally catastrophic—a life-changing personal crisis. A death in the family, the demise of a marriage, health problems, or financial ruin can leave a person feeling hopeless. You may have been in that forlorn place yourself. You may have sometimes wondered, How can I go on living? How can I ever recover?

We can recover, rebuild, and begin again.

Recovery may take a long time, and a new life may look a little different. But we can hold on to the hope that we’ll once again experience joy.

As Christians, we have good reason to hope. We won’t be disappointed when we hope in God, who loves us and has given us his Spirit. God is faithful. He never lies. He will take care of us in this life, and even if we meet the ultimate villain, death, we have the assurance of eternal life.

This is the good news we cling to when all we hold dear is wiped out, washed out, or wasted away. This is the good news we bring to those who suffer unimaginable losses.

Hope-filled Scriptures

Do a word search on “hope,” and you’ll find dozens of Bible verses assuring us we can put our hope in God. Here are just a few:

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:5 ESV)

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1 ESV)

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23 ESV)

“…in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began…” (Titus 1:2 ESV)

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!” (Ps. 27:13 ESV)

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” (Ps. 42:11 ESV)

I like these last two verses because they remind me that, in addition to the assurance of eternal life, God promises help in our earthly lives.

If you’re going through a season wherein all seems hopeless, take heart. We have a mighty God who is able to bring beauty out of ashes and restore what’s broken.

If you know someone in a seemingly hopeless situation, be like the fireweed, arriving on the scene to offer encouragement, nourishment, and help, and to spread hope.

Isn’t that what we do when we share the gospel? We go to the forlorn and ruined places, the neglected, empty spaces, the hearts that are burned and sad, and we show them the love of Christ.

When tragedy strikes, we, like fireweed, can spread hope of new life in Christ.

Margaret Kemp spends most days teaching a classroom full of lively five-and six-year-olds. She’s attracted to be fragrance of vanilla, the printed word, and all things blue and white. She delights in spending time with her husband and family, singing praises with her church choir peeps, and traveling. Her heart’s desire is to know God better and learn to trust him more. You can read more of her writing at MargaretKemp.com.

Photograph © Taylor Murphy, used with permission