Hope deferred...

Hoping for Hope…(Proverbs 13:12)

“This is it?” “This is what it all comes to?…an enormous world of hope catapulted into the reality of a small world of accomplishment…but accomplishment it was. Education. Service. The thrill of and for life brought some degree of satisfaction and, in the beginning, had somehow painted a picture of more than this….”

Is this what was in her heart?

She was well dressed. And I surmised that she, once a lady of adequate means, knew of the finer graces that trademarked her generation. A multi – colored plaid skirt. A once pressed but wrinkled from wear white blouse. One intentionally well placed sequined hair pin held a partially combed wisp of hair just above her forehead. Nylon hose wrapped each leg and ended in neatly tied gray loafers.

Of course, I could not hear her thoughts or know of her background. We saw her, alone, in a wheel chair, as Gayle and I waited in a doctor’s office patient lounge. We guessed she was waiting to be picked up from her appointment and I was waiting for mine.  It was if I could hear her thoughts however. I studied her demeanor; noticed the hollow sadness in her eyes; and the seeming discontent expressed by a gaze not connected to anything but time and space which had served to rob her of dignity and respectability. Perhaps the sadness was accentuated by the realization that the care she once provided to and for others was now a distant memory as she was forced by that same thief, time and space, to be the recipient of care. We were only eight feet apart but it seemed, at least, for that moment, that we were much closer; almost connected in perhaps painful, unexplainable ways.

When my appointment with the doctor was over she was gone from the waiting room. I am sure I will never see her again but that lonely figure, as I came to realize, spoke much more to my own situation than she did of her own – at least what I perceived her situation to be. What I thought I knew of her was merely a series of thoughts based on what I imagined. What I saw in her and the thoughts that flooded my heart were very real.  It was an unsettled voice deep within my own heart that shouted in silence, “This is it?” “This is the sum – total of my days?” 

Years of service, all be them minimal and provided with a great sense of awe and gratitude, now lost to memory alone as the trees that were seemingly barren of fruit did not even provide shade from the scorching sun of reality under which I found myself.

What had been perceived as a “calling” on my life and accompanied by frequent reminders that the fulfillment of dreams of just how that “calling” would manifest itself lay just beyond closed doors. Those doors, remain securely locked in their place. In sight, but always out of reach. Seen through shadowy images of what could be but never realized. Chronic illness robbing not only health and presenting themselves like nails in a coffin. Hopes and dreams die but until the coffin is shut tight, there is a pathway for those hopes and dreams to be fulfilled. It seems the lid has shut and nails seem to be that which prevents the hopes and dreams of and for life from ever seeing the light of day.

There was one other similarity between the woman I saw in the doctor’s office. She was alone. She may have a host of friends and family that were there for her, but for that moment, she was alone. An added fearful trial when hopes and dreams begin to fade is when one feels they are alone. Few call, or communicate in other ways, not just to touch base, but to share the life-giving Word accompanied by prayer.  When one has been strong, or, at least appeared to be strong, all of one’s life, it is probably assumed that even when hopes and dreams begin to fade, hope, and help is not needed. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Listening for the Silent Cries and a Trip to the Well

"...But He needed to go through Samaria..."

It is about thirty - five miles from Judea to Samaria. More or less, of course, depending on where Jesus was, exactly, in Judea when He and the disciples left for Galilee. (Jesus had talked with Nicodemus in chapter three, so it's possible Jesus was still in Jerusalem). Of the itinerant group of thirteen, Jesus was the only one who knew of and planned for a meeting that would not only change the life of a sin riddled woman and many of her city but would be a source of inspiration for millions over centuries. The meeting? At Jacob's well in Sychar. And while the points of the story are without question the lessons Jesus taught the woman and the disciples, the journey to this divinely orchestrated and appointed meeting; the journey to the meeting must never be overlooked. It is the journey that provides us as Christ followers with that which we need to actually fulfill Christ's mission on earth. If we fail to recognize the truth about how and why Jesus made His way to the well, and when He arrived, we stumble through life missing most if not all of our own divinely orchestrated appointments.

Before I share my thoughts however, I want to ask you to spend some time looking at a map and reading a familiar story. In reading the story, which begins in the fourth chapter of John's Gospel. The most important elements of the story, at least in the beginning, is the setting in which the story takes place. The setting changes, but again, one cannot even begin to unpack the depth of what Jesus did at the end of the story until we set ourselves in the location of the the story's beginning.

Here is a link to the map, (Using the text, study the map closely using the legend to help you place yourself in the setting) -

A trip to a well at noon

The average man can walk about 3.1 miles per hour (according to Wikipedia). A burst of power walking can possibly produce speeds of around 4 mph but would probably cause the walker to start running. The appointment was set at noon (most commentators interpret the time frame of the "sixth hour" to be noon), and Jesus could not miss this God ordained meeting. If Jesus was about thirty - five miles from the well and if He and the disciples were walking at a consistent speed of three miles per hour, the simple math presents a bit over eleven and one half hours to get to Jacob's well in time to meet a hungry and thirsty woman.


It is doubtful that Jesus and the disciples left for Galilee at 12:30 AM and walked all night through a difficult terrain and on a potentially dangerous path. It seems that given the circumstances, a stay - over would have been required. However, splitting the distance and the demands of the appointed time, Jesus and His band no doubt walked at a considerably brisk and steady pace for most of two days. Another point to consider is Jesus' strategy. Did Jesus encourage the disciples to keep His pace so that when they got to the well, which they thought was just a pit stop of sorts, they would go into town to get some lunch? Would the Divine Appointment otherwise known as a Samaritan woman who was dying of thirst, approach a well with thirteen Jewish men around it, one of which was a Rabbi?

Can you hear the disciples talk among themselves? Can you imagine the kinds of questions they may have asked Jesus?

But what about the woman? No doubt, if you're reading this post, you're a believer and you've heard many sermons/lessons on this story. There is good cause to know why she came at noon to get water. I won't take time to list those (possible) reasons here. The point I do want to raise is this - at this point in her life, to whom could she turn. With whom could she share her hurt, pain, disappointment, and grief. If Jesus had not clearly orchestrated this meeting, what could have become of this woman, created by God with the same calling and before - conception mission that had been given to Jeremiah?

And what of today?

Jesus is not here in body. He IS here in Spirit and His Body, the church, does here, on earth, in reality, in truth, and in force, what Jesus did in body long ago...or, the church is supposed to do what Jesus did.

So what of the people who hurt for any number of reasons, and cannot, or do not for as many reasons, share their hearts? I am assuming that you looked at the map because it is important to know that if the church does, in reality, the work of Jesus because Jesus lives inside it, then Divine Appointments happen every day. Those appointments are just as amazing and nearly as unbelievable as the meeting with the "woman at the well" centuries ago.

What of the people who are bound by their calling to be strong for the many who need strength, counsel and comfort? There are many who have been a source of strength to others for so long that they are regarded as having strength in their DNA. There are times when they hurt, feel weak, and could use someone to be their Divine Appointment but others do not come but because God has revealed Himself in His Word so often, they truly do walk by faith...alone. What if they make the mistake of saying, "I'm doing OK," when inside they are being crushed under the weight of devastating physical illness and their source of income had been taken away? And of those whose hopes and dreams never materialized and their perceived open doors for ministry to which they had given their lives seemed to all slam shut, what of them? What if the countless "I"m OK's" sometimes, not always, but sometimes really means, "I'm desperately struggling, will you pray with me?" (Many people say they're praying for others, but what if a few minutes were taken to pray WITH them?) What of those who have been strong, and walked alone so long, under the mantle of strength, that even when a spirit of desperation threatens their peace, they cannot ask for help? What if others' also see someone who seems to always have it together and efforts are never made to at least go beneath the surface to see if there are deep seated needs. What if those perceived to be strong just need someone to journey with them for a time and have never felt vulnerable enough to express their need...hence, silent cries. Is it possible for entire churches to miss the unspoken cries for help that come from the folks who attend regularly and say when asked that "things are OK" when they hurt inside. ? 

Look around. Are there those around you who appear to be strong? Are there folks who are as faithful as they know how to be and do, in fact, trust in and follow Jesus and yet through there strength creeps weakness and the need for some of the family to come along side them to share the pain of parts of their journey?

So, what does this look like fleshed out? First, one must know how the Holy Spirit works. (BTW, He works exactly like He did when He directed Jesus to that ancient well!) When, in, by, and through the Word one is sure how the Holy Spirit works, one must begin to listen. God's Spirit will direct you into someone else's life. When one is directed, ask the Lord for direction. When He gives it, (the direction), then follow through with a text, email, or some other way to actually be involved in their life. Ultimately, though, a "live" personal prayer not for that person (because prayer "for" that  assignment has already been voiced many times), but a prayer with the one God has placed on your heart should be voiced.

Don't let images of strength deter you from reaching out. Those images, may, from time to time be illusions. They may be unable to ask for help...help them anyway.