^“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come to save you.’”

Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”  (Texts from Isaiah 35}

When I read these words of prophecy my mind goes to Isaiah’s fellow prophet, Zechariah, who wrote “Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.”  Zech. 19:12

When I first read this I found it perplexing, probably because I did not see myself as a prisoner of any kind. I rejoiced that Christ has set me free.  Then, as I pondered it further the bright lights of God’s revelation flooded my soul. I am a prisoner of the hope. The hope is the unshakeable knowledge that God planted into my heart the ability to hope in Him, to put my total trust in Him, and in nothing else. That is my certain hope because I know that the God who promised it is my Creator, Redeemer and Friend. I do not hope because it is nice to hope rather than to be depressed and morose, no, but because I know God and He knows me.

For that reason, I am bound to hope!  That takes on new meaning if I think of hope as my connection with God. This age dangles all kinds of hopes before us, and, as we pursue those hopes we become prisoners of the hopes we create. That is not a happy thought.

So, I am beginning to see that one thing dominates the lives of the saints, hope in God!  People who do not know God find this strange if not a bit foolish. But, why live a life of false hope?  What the carnal mind hopes for ultimately turns into a veritable prison.

This is the season when we think of Dicken’s Scrooge, bound by that insatiable desire to find security in wealth or things.  Little did he realize that he became the unhappy prisoner in the prison he created!  Thank you, Charles Dickens, but infinitely more thanks to Jesus.