In my opinion, Hope lies in the after. What I mean is this……. Do you ever notice how when in the middle of heartache, pain, grief, despair, anguish, anger, strife, we are always present? And it’s natural, not saying anything is wrong with it. Most professional counselors or psychologists would want us to acknowledge and be present in those thoughts, feelings, and emotions. They say it’s good, and it is. I trust a trained, qualified practicing professional, especially in an area that I am not.

But do you ever wonder that there are times it can rob you of hope? Being so present in the acknowledgment and your existence in chaos without balance to look forward can take its toll because you never imagine what happens afterward. You never reach forward into the future and grab hope, a hope that says “this isn’t going to be my reality much longer” or “in an instant, it can all change”. The reason I am typing this is in response to the political back and forth that’s going on between the US and [insert country]. From engagement I have with people, there is a numbness I sense that says “nothing is going to change but will get worse” and so many are losing sight of the future. In the West, we are constantly bombarded with negative stimulants. News, media, discussions on sports, dating, preferences, opinions, and neighbors are examples of channels that constantly filter out negativity.

But I won’t allow it and if you’re reading this keep your hope alive and guard it with a sword. I also want you to read something. Read Ezekiel chapter 36. It’s the chapter before the famous “Dry Bones” chapter. In chapter 36 God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the surrounding mountains, as they have been eyewitnesses to the cycles of inconsistency by the children of Israel. So much so, that those very mountain peaks were used as foundations for the Altars of Asherah and Baal, even using it to sacrifice children.

Ezekiel tells these mountains that shortly, after their high places are made desolate and after the surrounding nations have been judged and the Israelites are exiled, they “will treat you better than at the first” in v.11. He does so by saying the mountain will see a new era of men who will multiply and steward, new agriculture abundance through animals and vegetation, protection from mockery, and other sequences of prosperity.

To me, it sounds like, after the inevitable judgment, desolation, and exile, the mountains that stood for so long in that region would see an era of peace. This is for whoever is reading it. I know you’re maybe overloaded at work, in your personal lives, in your spiritual walk. Things may not seem to get better, you’re troubled by the possibility of war, you don’t trust the government (or anybody), you don’t see positivity online, and everything seems to be on fire, burning quickly. But I want to encourage you that you will see your era of peace. YOU WILL SEE PEACE AFTER THIS.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18