Meat for the Hungry

got hope? Hope waits. Hope trusts. Hope anticipates. Hope longs and expects. Hope is unseen. Have you ever prepared something you couldn’t wait to deliver?  You lovingly create this special item and then rehearse every scenario of the moment it is received.  But when the time comes, things don’t go as planned.  Somehow the delivery was bungled. The timing skewed. The reception less than perfect. What happened?  Nothing went as you had imagined. Now you’re left with great disappointment; dreams deflating like a leaky balloon. All your hopes, poof – gone in an instant. Aww, such is life, my mother would say. But why? Is it because we are temporal and our life, in its best state is but a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away? [1] Is it because we live in a sin-cursed world where everything groans, awaiting the revealing of the sons and daughters of God? [2] Possibly. But thankfully, we cannot see the future.  ...

With the Lord’s command, the children of Israel left the Wilderness of Sin. Arriving at Rephidim, they set up camp, but found no water to drink. In anger, Israel blamed and accused Moses of trying to kill them with thirst shouting, “Give us water, that we may drink.” When he tried to reason with them, the conflict grew so great he feared for his life. Then Moses cried to the Lord. Israel may have lashed out at Moses, but in their hearts, they doubted the Lord was among them. Again, I have to say, it’s a good thing I’m not God. I mean, the pillar of cloud and fire were there constantly and manna still appeared each morning. Hadn’t Israel already seen enough jaw-dropping miracles to last them a lifetime? Shouldn’t they have cried out to God themselves instead of yelling at Moses? Why are they still questioning God’s presence?

Candlelight pierces the blackness of night creating a comforting glow in the darkness of heartbreak. The warm flicker of a single candle soothes our soul and symbolizes hope. Hope for a missing child, a killer convicted, a social injustice righted, or that someone somewhere will make sense out of a senseless tragedy. I don’t know when candlelight vigils and memorials first began or even who invented the concept, but I know a feeling of hope washes over us as we gather together with candles. Have you ever wondered why? Not why do we gather, but why do we use candles in the night?