Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness

In the midst of my own struggles today, I came across this article on the 24/7 prayer blog...


From Oria in Zimbabwe
10/04/08

HOPE in a thousand words or less...i have recently positioned myself in zimbabwe...beautiful zimbabwe.some have said "for such a time as this", others have said "why...atsuch a time like this?" It certainly has not gone unnoticed that I'mchoosing to live in a place that thousands and thousands of peoplehave left.bad governance and hyper-inflation have crippled the economy here,leaving the store shelves virtually empty. i heard someone recentlyjoke that zimbabweans have become hunters and gatherers again... thesedays its not far from the truth, in the scramble for a balanced diet.me and a friend often get in the truck and drive to several differentstores throughout the city hunting for food on the shelves. after aquick round in the supermarket the other day i found soup noodles,toothpaste, copious amounts of ketchup, toilet cleaner and local beer.no milk, no toilet paper, no rice, no flour, oil, sugar, or bread.this food shortage combined with power and water shortages, anirresponsible and greed driven government, lack of freedom of pressand speech, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the lowest life expectancy inthe world today, has made living very difficult for millions ofzimbabweans.the list of could go on and on.....but regardless, this beautifulcountry is home for me now. and as much as i see restoration neededon so many levels all around me....i also choose to see and believe inthe good and beauty and strength of this nation. thats what it comesdown to in the end, choosing to position ourselves in a nation orplace or sphere or industry that we believe in and want to see jesusimpact and invade for his glory. to see the gifts and strengths ofthat place, however hidden they may seem at the time. to speak lifeand love over a place. to be a part of positive change. toacknowledge what the enemy has stolen, warped and robbed but insteadhelp to usher in god's redemptive plan.my journey with this nation is still in its early days, and there ismuch to learn but this much i know already....i am here to championhope.i recently sat in front of a high-school headmaster in a rural area ofzimbabwe. a few of us had gone to visit him and chat about the currentsituation at his school, needs, concerns, etc. there i sat in front ofa tall, strong, very capable and determined man who was holding backthe tears as he explained his desperate circumstances...no teachers,no food, the majority of the teachers he had were not trainedproperly...some were just finished high-school themselves...everyoneelse had left...i will never forget the utter hopelessness i saw inhis eyes. he was barely living one day at a time, waiting, clingingto a smidgen of hope that something would change...ease his situation.across the road was the primary school...they had food thanks to aninternational NGO feeding program. we sat with the teachers for a bitand they were beautifully honest with us...they said, 'we are onlyhere still because of the children...things for us are desperate.'nearly everyone we spoke to said they were waiting for the electionsto see what would happen. a lot of people's hope is riding on theseelections. when a country's motto can be 'hurry up and wait', thiscan drain all hope.and hope is precisely what has been attacked since the moment iarrived here. of course. i have found over my travels these last 10or so years that often where god asks us to position ourselves and ourphysical lives and situations in that place often end up reflecting orrunning parallel to what's going on in the spiritual of that place.perhaps because we carry around in us the presence of god and hechooses to use us to impact and affect the world around us...perhapsbecause our battle is not against flesh and blood. whatever yourexperience this has been mine. and this time, here in beautifulzimbabwe, this parallel has been a battle with hope. i have never feltit this hard to cling to this titanium string called hope. i havenever found it this hard to believe that the dreams god has put insideme will come to pass. that he will indeed carry out to completion thegood works he has started. and yet i recognize that this fight i findmyself in is not just about me...it's never just about us. its alwaysso much bigger. no-one lives only unto themselves. in my feebleprayers one night i clearly heard god say this battle you are in tohold onto hope is a tiny glimpse into the fight my beautiful people ofzimbabwe are in right now and have been in for quite some time. standwith them in this and don't take your eyes off of me...set your facelike flint.in my hopeless freak out i had forgotten that actually HE is our hope.hope is never totally void...yes it really can deliver the hardestpunches, seem impossible to continue on with it, and sometimes evenseem to hide from us altogether...but it is never void and it isrelentless in its ability to bring life and strength to all who chooseto fiercely hold on to it...to Him. and that right there gives me thestrength to go on. to believe for change to come in this nation, forjustice to prevail, for reconciliation and redemption to take place,for this dream of zimbabwe to shine again in all its strength andbeauty.