THERE IS HOPE FOR US

“For THERE IS HOPE for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease” – Job 14: 7

If non-humans, including Trees, can have Hope, then THERE IS HOPE for US: “For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant” (Job 14: 7-9). With God, Hope can be found even in the darkest days. Job should know! The book that bears His name tells the story of a man whose life became unbearably difficult, but he was buoyed by his Hope and steadfast Faith in God. When all seems to be over, God is just beginning! There is light to be found even in the darkest moments of life.

All seemed to be going on well for Job; with vast herds, wealth, a wife, children who honoured him, and a relationship with God so strong that God boasted about him: “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job; that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8). Job at the start of his story was like a flourishing tree. However, his standing with God did not insulate him from Satan’s attacks. Overnight, everything nosedived (Job 1:13-18). He lost his fortune in a day! But God is fully aware of any gradual or sudden adversity we might have suffered. In his travails, Job found solace in “the Hope of a tree”!

Job’s words were not just blind words or empty positive confessions. He knew that if a tree is cut down but not uprooted, it has the chance to grow again. The tree’s Hope of Restoration is not in its decorative leaves or flowers, but in its roots. Though usually hidden, roots deepen and spread to anchor the tree to the ground and provide life-sustaining nutrients. The Hope for a tree cut down is that: “at the scent of water it will bud…” (v.9). Just a scent of water is enough: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water” (Psa.63:1). Even in dry, thirsty lands, there can be a new beginning (Isa.43:19).

Wherever there is scent of water, there is life. In harsh deserts, the Oasis offers life. Our Hope of restoration is rooted in Christ: “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jh.4:14). Christ in us is the Hope of Glory (Col.1:27). As long as we have Him, we have hope. Though the righteous may fall several times, he is not finished: “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity” (Pro 24:16). Micah 7:8 says, “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”

Job sprouted and budded again. In Christ, we too can! At one time or another in life’s journey, we may have to stand against life’s challenges, difficulties, fears, perils, trials, and uncertainties. Rather than place our hope on other creatures, people, or material resources, we do well to Hope in God, the Fountain of Hope and Source of Help. It takes courage to remain focused on God when He seems absent or silent or the answer to prayer is lagging long after the request. Like Job, we must learn to wait on God for our change: “all the days of my hard service I WILL WAIT, till my change comes” (Job 14:14b). We can imitate “those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb.6:12).