Hope in a Hard Place

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you…because I have many people in this city.”—Acts 18:9-10

From one hard place to another—Athens, and then Corinth—no one would blame the Apostle Paul for wanting an easier, more receptive assignment. And though he doesn’t say so in so many words, we can only guess that “get me out of here!” was on his mind by this “do not quit” exhortation from the Lord Himself.

Sometimes, like Paul, we may think, “why on earth did God put me here in this corner of the world?” When it’s a hard place, and everything you believe and live for seems to stand no chance against the wave of prevailing opinion, the temptation is strong to escape to someplace sunny and warm—or worse, to just keep quiet.

But this little passage is encouragement to stay graciously faithful in both word and deed wherever we are, because as Paul found out in two of the most difficult places any of us will ever encounter, “hopeless” and “what’s the point?” are never part of God’s equation. To wit, "Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized."

Even in the hardest soil, hope grows. It's good to know that He hasn't given up on anyplace, that He always, always has "many people in this city" who will be curious about what makes us tick, and receptive to our reason for living...and perhaps more importantly, there will be those in every hard place in the world who have been desperately waiting and literally dying for someone, anyone to bring them some Good News.

The words of Mordecai to Esther still ring true:

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”