A man lost in a forest traveled for days
hoping to be rescued. One evening, he
caught a glimpse of an old cabin. He walked
inside, found a well, and pulled the rope. In
the bucket, he found a bottle of water and a
note. “Do not drink this water. Pour all of it
down the well. It is necessary to prime the
pump.” The man paused in dilemma.
Life contains many such dramatic pauses.
We hold bottles of water in our hands
daily—dreams, opportunities, prayers,
expectations. And yet we seem to be a
generation who very much dislikes the pain
of holding out in hope for a greater return on
our investment. We thirst so we take, now.
We barter an immediate sip for what could
be the potential gain of a fresh flowing spring.
The Israelites did the same. After the relief
of being released from slavery in Egypt, they
began to thirst. By the fifteenth day without
water, desperation usurped their expectation
of the Promised Land. (I’m not sure I could
go five hours without Ozarka.) As their hope
weakened, they began to want relief more than
wanting to persevere. In many respects, we are
like the Israelites begging for bottles of water
rather than hoping for a land flowing with milk
and honey. Our wants are strong, and our hope
is weak. So we take instant gratification and
gain relief.

When the Israelites lost hope, complaining
increased. The sons of Israel said,

“Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand
in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots
of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for
you [Moses] have brought us out into this
wilderness to kill this whole assembly with
hunger” (Exodus 16:3).

Have you ever whined like the Israelites, not
realizing that in the midst of your impatience
that God might have manna and springs
of water awaiting you, too (Exodus 16:31,
15:27). I can identify with that question.
Rather than waiting on God, I want my needs
met now!

C.S. Lewis in Pilgrim’s Regress put it this
way: “Some desires are felt as pleasures only
if satisfaction is expected in the near future:
hunger is pleasant only while we know that
we are soon going to eat. But there exists
a desire ... better than any other fullness.
This sweet desire cuts across our ordinary
distinctions between wanting and having.”

Jesus understood the value of trading
temporary want for the gain of long-term
purpose. Erwin McManus, in his book,
The Barbarian Way, wrote—“Jesus knew
all along that John [the Baptist] had been
imprisoned and that he would be beheaded.
Even then Jesus knew His purpose was not
to save us from pain and suffering, but from
meaninglessness.”

Recently, I watched The Chronicles of Narnia.
There was a scene after Aslan the Lion died.
The people of Narnia waged war with the
white witch, but the witch’s army seemed
too great so Aslan’s army began to retreat.
I remember wanting to retreat myself and
disengaged from the movie during this scene.
I closed my eyes and groaned, “I miss You.
I miss You. We need You, Jesus.”

We live in such a time as this. There is a great
battle. The King has yet to return, but we
cannot afford to retreat from forward progress.
The prophets long ago lacked a Messiah,
and the throne of David seemed empty. The
prophets and priests anxiously awaited His
coming only to find that as quickly as Jesus
entered the world, He left again. We find
ourselves living between this same tension,
longing for our King’s return and seeing Him.
The distance between wanting and having
forces hope to the surface—one of the key
weapons we have to persevere against the
enemy’s attacks.

Today, we witness to a world that is
based upon instant gratification. Our hope
communicates that Christ has the right to
rule us, even while He is away. When “hope
inspires endurance,” we prove that Jesus is
worth the pain. Our lives show that suffering
is an investment. His Word says “Christ in us”
will be worth its weight in glory
(Colossians 1:27).

Who we are while our leader is away
communicates. I saw a picture of this recently.
My cousin, Julie, knows the fear and the pain
of a leader leaving. She and her husband,
Matt, have two young boys, Jacob, 4, and
Chad, 2. Matt will be returning for his second
tour in Iraq this February. When I asked her
how she was doing, she said regarding his first
time away,“I wouldn’t trade the time we had apart.”

Not the answer I was expecting. She said,

“God taught both of us so much, and I know that Matt is using the gifts
of leadership that God gave him.” Although Julie
is starting to get sad in anticipation of Matt’s leaving
again, her hope perseveres with purpose. She
recently emailed me, “I wonder what awesome
things God will reveal to me about Himself
when I feel sad and desperate for Him!”
That’s hope!
When the day comes for Matt, a Major in the
Marines, to walk toward the runway again,
Julie will be holding two little hands. She’s
not going to whine. She will prove faithful.
Jeremiah 2:12-13
Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have
forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for
themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so that by the power
of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
She will talk to her boys about daddy, and
keep going because “the God of hope” helps
her (Romans 15:13). Hope will hold her up
from the equal and opposite force of despair,
depression and retreat. Her loneliness and
ache will again be real, but her hope in God’s
presence will communicate to many people—
just like when I asked her how she was doing,
she was “prepared to give an answer for the
reason for her hope” (1 Peter 3:15). Lord, help
us to be always ready as well.

Action Steps
l. Hope is to be prized, not put up with.
Take time right now to ask God where
your hope is weak.
2. If you have complained against Him
or others, ask for forgiveness.
3. In the midst of your vulnerability,
ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with
new hope, a strong hope that helps
you endure the painful space between
having and wanting.
4. Give thanks—even for desires not yet
realized.

Adrianne Schwanke lives
in Richardson, Texas with
her husband, Ryan, and
daughter, Kayla.

Dear Friends of Renewal,
We’re living in a day and time
when we all need hope! I needn’t
spell out the uncertainties we face in
this decaying world. Some predict
the war on terror will go on for
decades. At the same time, our
society’s changing values are
threatening to destroy us from
within. Explosions and implosions
are a lethal combination.
However, these incredible
dynamics are nothing new in this
world. New Testament Christians
faced persecutions we have not yet
encountered. Even so, they had
hope—which produced an
endurance that is truly supernatural.
We can experience the same realities
because of our eternal
relationship with the Lord
Jesus Christ. When the
world’s system unravels, we
can be renewed in our hearts and minds!
Thanks for helping us tell this age-old
truth through dynamic, contemporary
stories!

Gene Getz