Shortly after departing from SEA-TAC International Airport in Seattle, Washington headed to Thailand, the pilot announced that if we looked out the left of our 747 airplane, we were about to fly over Mt. Saint Helen. This was only a few years after its eruption in 1980. He could have announced we were about to fly over the moon, and the scene would not have been much different—nothing but grayish ash for miles and miles. Recently, I watched a video of Mt. Saint Helen today. The once barren ground of the surrounding areas was green with trees and grass, and flowing with crystal clear streams thriving with fish. The video shows birds, elk, porcupines, and coyotes, even swarms of pesky insects. Biologists have been amazed at the rate of recovery from death to life.
I have been meditating on Isaiah 11:1 for the past few weeks waiting for right occasion to use it. Isaiah prophesied, Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse. The word stump caught my attention. It means the remains of a tree cut down as close to the ground as possible. This verse of course is referring to Christ coming from the linage of Jesse and his son, King David. However, by the time of the New Testament, Jesse and David’s descendants, Israel, was as the stump of a fallen tree cut down to the roots. After centuries of apostasy, Israel was no longer a flourishing nation, but a mere vassal of Rome. Yet, from this lifeless stump, the LORD brought forth the promised Messiah.
As we look around the world today, we can see a multitude of lifeless stumps barely visible above the gray ash of disaster. But this is not something new to our time. The Bible records numerous examples of hopeless situations. It is in these kinds of circumstances God can demonstrate His glory and bring life. Look at these examples: Sarah was barren and past the age to conceive and Abraham as good as dead—had a son they named Isaac; Nehemiah faced a humanly impossible task of rebuilding the destroyed walls of Jerusalem, but completed it in fifty-two days.
Job lost everything, his health, his 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and worst of all, his seven sons and three daughters. Yet, out of this stump with only Job and his wife remaining, the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. God gave him seven more sons and three beautiful daughters plus twice as many possession— 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
The first sermon I ever preached was about Paul’s voyage to Rome as a prisoner. I called it, ‘Hope for the Hopeless’. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the “northeaster,” swept down from the island. This storm became so great we finally gave up all hope of being saved (Act 27:14, 20). ‘We’ included Paul. He also lost hope. All of his goals and dreams, even the desire to preach in Spain, were shattered in his mind. However, this loss of hope was only for a brief time. This hopeless situation was merely a chance for God to intervene. He sent His angel who told Paul, stop being afraid because he would get to Rome.
I understand now why the Holy Spirit held this thought in my heart. There is never an occasion when it would not be appropriate, but I am sure after American’s northeaster many have lost hope. Every morning I pray for those around the world who are imprisoned and being persecuted for their faith in Christ—in Iran, Sudan, China, Egypt and list of places would take this entire space. I pray God would encourage them and keep their hope alive.
You may be reading this seeing only a stump of what your life used to be. All that remains—physically, mentally, or spiritually—is gray ash. It does not have to be from an act of nature—life is full of disasters. This does not matter to God. This is an opportunity for Him to show you His glory and power if you will trust Him. Stop being afraid, you will make it.
Sustaining Word for the Week:
If the LORD can bring life to miles of gray ash or a shoot from a dead stump, He can restore you and even make the rest of your life better than the first. Stop being afraid!