In the early 1900’s a man named Darby and his uncle were working a gold mine in Colorado. Like many others, they invested everything they owned into the mine. One day they struck a gold vein and began working it. Then all of a sudden it disappeared. They kept digging and couldn’t find it. They dig deeper, and still it was gone. After going through their savings, their hope ran out. They decided to give up. They sold their equipment to a nearby junk dealer. That man hired an engineer to examine where they lost the vein. The engineer discovered they had quit digging about three feet from the vein. The junk dealer bought it and hit the richest gold vein in Colorado at the time. Darby was later quoted as saying, “I stopped three feet from gold because I lost hope.”
In John 11, Jesus went to Bethany after His friend Lazarus had died. When He arrived at the village, Jesus asked to be taken to the place where they had buried him. There was a large stone covering the entrance to the tomb. Verse 39 says, “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days! [It is hopeless!]’” (AMP) Even though it was hopeless, Lazarus’s sisters had them move the stone. Jesus prayed and then called out to Lazarus. He came out wrapped tightly in burial cloths. Jesus then told them to unwrap him and set him free.
I love Lamentations 3:21-22. Jeremiah was going through a hopeless season. Then he penned these words, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease” (NLT). All of us face hopeless situations at times. Things that God has promised seem to be long past due and impossible to revive, yet we can still dare to hope by remembering God’s faithfulness. Like Martha and Mary, we may need to roll some stones out of the way so He can call things back to life. God invites us to step out in faith and trust even when things look hopeless. Great is His faithfulness to revive, renew and to resurrect hopeless situations and forgotten dreams. Don’t lose hope yet.
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Devotions by Chris Hendrix 