Lauren, a missionary on "Clove Island", shares what it looks like to fight for hope in Christ when darkness and hopelessness surround you.
When I arrived on the Island a year ago, I thought I knew what would be challenging. I have lived overseas before and would have predicted that language learning and homesickness would be by far my toughest challenges in moving to a new place. Yet something sneakier and stealthier has been incredibly hard: living among a hopeless people.
Nearly every morning, I wake up to children chanting the Quran at my neighbor’s madrassa. I attempt to have ‘quiet time’ in an environment that is rarely, if ever, quiet.
The sounds and rhythms around me impact me more than I thought they would.
Five times a day, I hear the call to prayer sound. When I’m sitting out with my neighbors and it sounds, conversation ceases, and they listen in reverence before heading off to wash and pray.
Whenever something bad or difficult happens, an Islander often tells me ‘Allah willed it’ and the conversation ends there. What else is there to say if God has decided?
While I don’t rush off to pray when the call to prayer sounds and I study the Bible instead of chant the Quran, it can be overwhelming to see day in and day out that the overwhelming majority who surround me follow Allah.
“There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” – C.S. Lewis
We have to cling to hope, together.
The empty rituals I see those engaged in around me can lead me to feel like there is no purpose in being here. It can feel like language learning, relationship building, and English teaching aren’t worth it because nothing ever changes. When the hopelessness of those around me begins to feel too heavy, our team gathers together.
“Corporate worship is a regular gracious reminder that it's not about you. You've been born into a life that is a celebration of another.” Paul David Tripp
We sing His praises and remind each other of His goodness, His worthiness, and of His detailed care for each one of us. We study His Word, reading it together, asking questions, and then applying it to life here on this little island. We share ‘Kingdom Updates’ and encourage each other in how we have each seen Him at work in our relationships. We praise Him for the work He is doing and we beg Him for more together. We laugh and cry together, we remind each other to hope.
“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 ESV
Jesus, hope embodied.
I am continually reminded that hope isn’t an abstract thing, it’s not found in specific circumstances or in what I see, it is found solely in the person of Jesus. It’s “on him we have set our hope” and “this hope will not lead to disappointment” (2 Cor. 1:10; Rom. 5:5; Rom. 8:24-25).
Focusing on what we ought to do for God creates only frustration and exhaustion; focusing on what Jesus has done for us produces abundant fruit. Resting in what Jesus has done for us releases the revolutionary power of the gospel. - JD Greear
While my "quiet time" is far from quiet, I have the joy and privilege of remembering where my hope is truly found. I am encouraged when He so often brings to mind the different ways He has transformed me. Remembering how He has changed my life helps me have the courage to ask Him to do that in the lives of those around me.
In Your name there is freedom, life, and peace. In Your name there is power...darkness flees. At the name above all names, Jesus...Your name alone can save. -Your Name Alone Can Save, Sovereign Grace Music
I recently heard it said that "faith and hope are related. Hope is the futuristic aspect of our faith." The question is not if I hope but what do I put my hope in? Is it in religion, or myself, or Jesus? When I’m enamored with Jesus and remember all He is and all He has done for me, I am quick to pray crazy prayers. I beg Him to turn my neighbor into a teacher of His Word instead of the Quran. I dare to have bold conversations, even if they are littered with errors as I try to communicate in this new language. Being with Jesus, both individually and corporately is what allows me to dare to hope, even in a dark place. He is my hope, He does not disappoint, and He never will.
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About the Author: Lauren is a missionary serving on "Clove Island". She loves passionfruit, her island, and its people. In her free time she likes to hangout with friends, play board games, and cook. Lauren has served on this island a little over a year. She looks forward to seeing what God will continue to do in her and through her as she seeks to obey Christ and make Him known.