At Life’s Bleakest, There Is Always Hope With Jesus

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.’ (Psalm 118:24)

There are days, and we all have them, when things just don’t look very good. But when it looks bleak, even at its bleakest, there is always hope. There is the story of George Gipp, an All-American football star for Notre Dame in 1920. In his last game, on 20 November of that year (against Northwestern), Gipp apparently contracted pneumonia and died several weeks later on 14 December 1920. He was someone who likely had a bright future, being a leader on his team, athletic and intelligent, but his life being cut short it was not realized – at least here on this side of Eternity…

Though George was on his deathbed, with his coach, Knute Rockne at his bedside, he still saw some positivity in his situation. He told his coach (perhaps remembered with some poetic license per the movie ‘Knute Rockne, All-American‘) the line made famous by then-actor Ronald Reagan, “I’ve got to go, Rock. It’s all right. I’m not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they’ve got and win just one for the Gipper.”

While Gipp’s early death was tragic, 8 years later, on 10 November 1928, a rather mediocre Notre Dame squad was losing at halftime to undefeated Army. Knute Rockne told his team, at their lowest ebb, the words of George Gipp, and implored them to ‘win just one for the Gipper‘. The emotionally charged Fighting Irish came out in the second half and upset Army 12-6, salvaging their season in securing a winning 5-4 record. In their bleakest moment that year, the words of George Gipp gave the Irish team a beacon of hope to fight for.

For the Christian, we have someone even better than George Gipp; we have our Lord, Jesus! In Jesus, when our lives look to be heading down a dead-end path, He provides us our hope and a future with Him. There will always be tragedy, sadness, and disappointment in life, but with Jesus there is never defeat. Every day is our Lord’s day, not just Sunday. Jesus, through His Gospel, provides us the Good News that no matter the result of the day, our future is secure in His hope, if we accept His Salvation and acknowledge Him as Lord.

The days are not our days to determine their outcomes, the Lord determines how the day will end. The Psalmist does not spell out what ‘it’ is that the Lord has done, but in reading Psalm 118, whatever the Lord has done He has done it with his overarching, enveloping love.  We could have World War III breaking out this very minute, or we could have martial law declared to stop all forms of free speech and dissent, or both. There may suddenly have personal physical or financial troubles that can tear our mortal foundation from under us.  

Or it can be good things that occur, but none of these things whether good or not-so-good are as important as the fact is that God is still in control and on the Throne.  This is why we must build on His Spiritual Foundation our lives, which will always hold us up even when our world, whether our secular or personal surroundings, collapse around us.

Praise the Lord for His plan that is moving forward; no matter what we as man do, good or bad, will stop it from its implementation.    Whatever occurs, God is in control.  Now God does want you prepared, aware and plan for events of great turmoil.  However, God wants first and foremost your Faith in Him, to trust Him, and His ways.  Whether you have much or have little, know that what He really wants is you to believe and accept Jesus as His Son, and as our Savior and Lord.  Even in the midst of despair – whether the big despair of possible war or the little personal despair of a working deadline – rejoice – REJOICE! – that Jesus is King!