HANDS OF HOPE

What Do You See?

When I was in grade nine, one of my Canadian History class assignments was to interview a veteran from the war. I had the privilege of interviewing a gentleman from my church who was a bomber pilot in the RAF during World War 2. On his last bombing run, he was shot down over Germany and taken to a prisoner of war camp. This particular camp was made famous in 1963 in “The Great Escape” movie. This particular assignment became the catalyst for a very personal and keen interest in the war and its iconic stories. 

Fast forward to 2017, and another war movie came to the big screen. “Dunkirk” was a beautiful, yet haunting re-telling of the one of the most thrilling deliverance moments in war history. Almost 500,000 Allied soldiers were backed up on the beaches at Dunkirk, surrounded by the German army, praying for a miracle. As the Allied commanders tried in vain to find a way off the beaches, they realized that hope was quickly fading, until one amazing moment that is captured in the movie. As hopelessness was setting in, an Allied commander saw black dots off in the horizon on the water. He anxiously took out his binoculars to see what it was. As he did this, another commander asked him a very simple question: “what do you see?” His response was “home”! Hundreds of British civilian ships had left Dover to come to their rescue. In the midst of a hopeless situation, the soldiers saw home! 

At the beginning of the prophet Jeremiah’s ministry, God came to Jeremiah with the same question:

Jeremiah 1:11-12 (NIV) - 11 The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of an almond tree,’ I replied. 12 The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’”

What Do You See?

What we see and what we choose to see, has the ability to play a defining role in the vision we have for our lives and for those around us. If God asked you the same question today, what would be your answer? For Jeremiah, he saw the branch of an almond tree. At first reading, you may skip right by this moment and not think twice about it. However, Jeremiah’s answer to this simple question proposed by God has significant Biblical and personal meaning for us today.

God Is Watching You

The Hebrew word for almond is translated “to watch”. Many of us stayed up late on December 31 to “watch” the new year come. Ironically, this is exactly what God is doing with His promises over you. He is watching to see every promise of His Word fulfilled in your life. No matter how much time has passed or how far we have strayed, He never stops watching over His Word to perform it!

Wake To New Vision

The same Hebrew word for almond can also be translated “wakeful”. The almond tree itself is one of the most common trees in the Middle East. You can see them everywhere. What makes an almond tree so unique is that it is the first to “wake” in winter. The almond tree is the first tree to blossom which is why it is often referred to as the symbol of resurrection, because it is the first tree to fully blossom in winter. What dreams or visions is God “waking” up in you right now? What dreams that have died in your heart, does God want to resurrect this year? What do you see?

The Best Fruit

Another interesting fact about the almond tree is that, even though it is the first tree to blossom, it is the last tree to bear fruit. Yet, in Genesis 43:11, the almond tree is described as being the “best of fruits”. As is often the case, God saves the best for last! The first Adam fell into sin, the last Adam (Jesus) redeemed all of mankind from sin and its consequences. At Jesus’ first miracle, he saved the best wine for last. Allow God to wake your vision and believe God for His best fruits this year! No matter what last year looked like, let’s have God’s vision for our lives. Let’s believe that He is watching over you and over His Word in your life. Let’s wake up to what God is saying to us today and believe together for a year of God’s best fruit!