{"id":13550,"date":"2021-01-07T21:07:31","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T04:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2020-encounterjesus-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-01-07T21:18:12","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T04:18:12","slug":"2021-newhope","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2021-newhope\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hope Is Possible In 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Max Lucado<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A new year can be full of hope with the promise of a new beginning, but for some of us, the 2021 may not seem very hopeful. We may still be experiencing devastating loss, financial turmoil and disruption to our safety and security. And as we reflect on the past events of 2020, some of us may see what Noah saw when he emerged from the ark \u2013 remnants of a great storm all around and no path forward.<\/p>\n

Take a moment and picture Noah peeking over the deck of the ark. All Noah can see is water. The evening sun sinks into it. The clouds are reflected in it. His boat is surrounded by it. Water. Water to the north. Water to the south. Water to the east. Water to the west. Water. All Noah can see is water.<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t remember when he\u2019s seen anything but. The world has been destroyed. It was the end of everything he had known. He and the boys had barely pushed the last hippo up the ramp when heaven opened a thousand fire hydrants. Within moments the boat was rocking, and for days the rain was pouring, and for weeks Noah has been wondering, \u201cHow long is this going to last?\u201d For forty days it has rained. For months they have floated. They have eaten the same food, smelled the same smells and looked at the same faces. After a certain point you run out of things to say to each other. You even begin to run low on hope. Can God re-create this world? Is he able to start over? Can he, and we, begin again?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally the boat bumped, and the rocking stopped. Mrs. Noah gave Mr. Noah a look, and Noah gave the hatch a shove and poked his head through. The hull of the ark was resting on ground, but the ground was still surrounded by water. \u201cNoah,\u201d she yelled up at him, \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWater.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sent a raven on a scouting mission; it never returned. He sent a dove. It came back shivering and spent, having found no place to roost. Then, just this morning, he tried again. He pulled a dove out of the bowels of the ark and ascended the ladder. With a prayer he let it go and watched until the bird was no bigger than a speck.<\/p>\n

All day he looked for the dove\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

Now the sun is setting, and the sky is darkening and he has come to look one final time, but all he sees is water. Water to the north. Water to the south. Water to the east. Water to the . . .<\/p>\n

You know the feeling. You have stood where Noah stood. You\u2019ve known your share of floods. Flooded by sorrow at the cemetery, anger at the disability in your body, fear of the uncertainty of a pandemic. You\u2019ve seen the floodwater rise, and you\u2019ve likely seen the sun set on your hopes and dreams as well. You\u2019ve been on Noah\u2019s boat.<\/p>\n

And you\u2019ve needed what Noah needed; you\u2019ve needed hope.<\/p>\n

The old sailor stares at the sun bisected by the horizon. He\u2019s just about to call it a day when he hears the cooing of the dove. This is how the Bible describes the moment: \u201cWhen the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!\u201d (Gen. 8:11).<\/p>\n

An olive leaf. Noah would have been happy to have the bird\u2014but to have the leaf! This leaf was more than foliage; this was promise. The bird brought more than a piece of a tree; it brought hope. For isn\u2019t that what hope is? Hope is an olive leaf\u2014evidence of dry land after a flood. Proof to the dreamer that dreaming is worth the risk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So to all the Noahs of the world, to all who search the horizon for a glimpse of hope, God proclaims, \u201cYes!\u201d And he comes. He comes as a dove. He comes with a leaf of promise that he can make all things new. Today, accept God\u2019s leaf in your life and step into the promise that no matter what disappointment, heartache, or hardship you\u2019ve endured, you can begin again.<\/p>\n

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