Ye prisoners of hope

Zechariah 9:12

Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee…

No matter the circumstance, the event, the opposition, the enemy, the formidable obstacle, or the woeful sorrow, there is always a stronghold. Turn ye to the strong hold! This is a call from God, a divine cry! Turn ye! Turn ye! The stronghold is there, why would you ignore it? He is available for refuge, for solace, and for comfort. And yet—and yet! Many are turning to other weak and beggarly forts. They are turning to that which satisfieth not—the pit wherein is no water. For in that pit, you become a prisoner. You are a prisoner of the ruler of the pit. And he does not treat his prisoners with kindness or mercy. They have no water, and will never receive their much needed nourishment. But there are some prisoners that, although chained, can be made free! And those are the prisoners of hope. Those who have realized that they must turn to the stronghold. They are bound by only one hope. And that hope is in the true stronghold!

Who is this stronghold to which we may turn? Do not the psalms say, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”? Is He not the stronghold? Is Christ not that foundation, other of which cannot be laid? Is He not the Rock that we stand upon? He is the Rock of our salvation. He is the the source of all hope. Be a prisoner of hope! Be bound to Him! There is no other pathway to freedom! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! Paul was a “prisoner of the Lord.” He was a bond servant, who was inextricably and inseparably bound to Christ. Nothing could sever the bond between him and Christ, because the great apostle knew one thing. He knew that only Christ brings hope. He is the God of hope. Be imprisoned by Him. Be a prisoner of hope.

Dear friend, do you feel hope refreshed in your life? Or do you feel a loss of hope? Abraham against hope believed in hope. So can you! Cling to hope! Be bound and chained to the hope of Christ. Do not let it go! Do not unclasp your tight grip! Remain tied to this great hope that we have in Christ. We have hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. We do not only have hope in this life, but hope in the eternal, risen Son of God. We hope for that we see not, and therefore with patience we wait for it! We are people of hope, because we have a God of hope. Turn you to the stronghold, all prisoners of hope!

“Dear Lord, we praise you wholeheartedly that you are truly a God of hope. We may be filled with hope. We may rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We may revel and rejoice in the great hope that is in Jesus Christ. We are prisoners of hope! We have no other hope but you! May this day be full of hope, as we wait to see the wonders and glorious works that you shall perform before our eyes. May we never lose hope, but may we be always bound to it, for we are bound to you. And these things we pray in Christ Jesus’ name, Amen.”