We hold onto that which gives us hope. But in times of suffering, it can seem like hope is slipping away. While I used to be full of plans and hopes, I see that now I often feel quite hopeless.
Holding tightly to hope is shown in the story of Natan Sharonsky, a Jewish Russian who was a Soviet prisoner for nine years near Siberia in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Confined to an 8’x10’ cell, Sharonsky one day saw a copy of Pravda which condemned Ronald Reagan for calling the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” This news spread like wildfire through the prison; ecstatic prisoners tapped it out on walls and found other covert means to communicate it. “Finally, the leader of the free world had spoken the truth—a truth that burned inside the heart of each and every one of us” (1988).
We have a word of truth to carry us through forever: the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It burns a hope inside our hearts so that while we suffer, our hope in Christ is unshaken. Through Him, not only will we survive, but also we’ll overflow in hope.