Hope in the Waiting
Even though our annual celebration of Easter has come and gone, I want to be the kind of person who celebrates the joy of Easter every single day. Over the past five years, Easter has come to take on a much deeper meaning for me. It was Easter Sunday 2018 when I found myself, newly married to my husband of two weeks, in a hospital room with Jake lying in a hospital bed, afraid and uncertain of our future. Jake had been diagnosed with leukemia suddenly and unexpectedly, and instead of basking in all of our newlywed glory, we were heartbroken, trying to digest heavy words like chemotherapy, radiation, isolation floor, and blood cancer.
Despite our fear, the Holy Spirit met us in that room. Despite our shock, the Spirit of God somehow gave us deep peace and certainty that we could trust Him, even in light the midst of darkness ahead and an unknown future. We knew that in spite of our sorrow and grief, we could still remain joyful and hopeful because of Christ.
This is the hope that the gospel brings to those of us who are in Christ, who are in a relationship with Christ Jesus. Because He died and rose from the grave some 2000 years ago, we can face whatever comes our way in this life knowing that sin, death, and darkness do not get the final say. He has already defeated the power of death, and one day, Jesus promises to come back again and make all things new and heal all that is broken. Just how Jesus rose again, we will rise again in eternity with our Savior (1 John 5:12). This is the hope of Easter—a hope that should change how we live each and every day.
Fast forward to 2023, and after a couple rounds of cancer recurrences followed by months of intense treatment, my husband is now back in full remission. We have endured many seasons of joy on the mountaintops and dark seasons in the valleys, and we look back and praise God for His faithfulness, His comfort, His provision, and perhaps most notably, for His presence (Psalms 16) through every season. He has answered prayers from us, family, and friends for healing throughout these five long years. The Lord has not left us alone but has abundantly provided His people, His Word, and His Spirit to sustain us and grow us throughout my husband’s cancer journey.
This Easter, I found myself in another season full of uncertainty and that dreaded word for many of us - waiting. A season of waiting for a child, amid fertility treatments and hope for a future family of our own. I also found myself reading with Mohammad* on another Wednesday evening at Reading Circle, like we’ve been doing together since October 2021. In his nine years, Mohammad has already lived a lot of life. Originally born in the DRC, Mohammad and his parents and his nine other siblings fled to Tanzania due to persecution, and were eventually then resettled here in Dallas.
Mohammad and I spend most Wednesday evenings together, learning to read in English and always beginning the night reading the Jesus Storybook Bible. On one particular Wednesday night a couple of weeks ago, just a few days after Easter Sunday, Mohammad stunned me with an acknowledgment and longing for the one true God. “I choose to know God. I commit to God.” These are the words Mohammad uttered, confidently and matter of factly, to Alysa and me. I was stunned, almost not believing my ears. How could a boy who has grown up in a Muslim family all his life, so confidently state his belief that Jesus not only died but also was raised back to life by God? I am slightly ashamed to admit this. I shouldn’t be surprised; God is in the business of redemption. Resurrecting from the dead, turning hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, bringing light from darkness. Revealing Himself to those He has chosen for His own purposes, glory, and delight.
I am reminded again of how wonderful and deeply good our God is - a God who sees us, knows us better than we know ourselves, and delights in revealing Himself to us. A God who longs for all to turn to Him, repent, and believe in Jesus.
I don’t know what will happen in the future. I am still waiting and longing for a child, and despite Mohammad’s confession to commit to God, he still has questions about Islam and Jesus. There is still wrestling and questioning and uncertainty ahead for all of us.
Yet, in the midst of my own heart’s longing and waiting, I have been reminded by a little boy and his own journey of knowing God of who our triune God is and how the Holy Spirit works. When Jesus rose from the grave and eventually ascended (Luke 24), He did not actually leave us on our own. He sent the Holy Spirit, our great Counselor and Helper (Acts 2; John 14:16). Christians have confidence in Christ that He will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). Although I can’t know the future, I know that the Lord will sustain my husband and me in our journey and that we can trust Him with how He chooses to answer our prayers for a child. I can trust the Lord that He will not leave Mohammad alone; I know He is working in some way in Mohammad’s heart and mind and can confidently hold to the promise that the word of the Lord does not return void (Isaiah 55:11).
For Christians, Easter is never really “over.” Because Jesus lives, and because His Holy Spirit indwells those of us who are in Christ, we can hold tight to His promises in Romans 8:28-30:
“And we know that for those who love God ALL things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
He isn’t finished yet!
Written by: Caitlin Bunger
Edited by: Kendra Smith
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*Name and identifying characteristics have been changed for the student’s privacy and protection.