Men are creatures of hope. We live our lives in hopes of a better tomorrow, of a destiny fulfilled. We are always looking for that next chance, that stroke of luck or fortune, that one little thing that makes a difference. But we never quite get there, and we somehow feel that something is missing. Things never quite work out as we planned. We are men of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
The predicament is well documented. John Eldredge speaks of the wound men carry, torn when we have to separate from home and mother, and perpetuated when we never hear from father that we have what it takes to be a man. Keith Drury tells us we inherit a collective grief from all the blood we have collectively shed as warrior and defender. James Dittes writes of hope deferred and the sacrifices we make to defer our own lives for duty and honor.
As I ponder the matter I think there is a lot of truth to it. The choice to redirect our wild energies to patriarchal responsibility causes us to live disconnected in some way from the dreams of our childhood, when we thought about what we would do when we were all grown up. We focus our energies on wife and family, as we should, and gain a measure of satisfaction from that. “Midlife crisis” reminds us we haven’t quite made it and we probably won’t. In a sense we are men of sorrows. We are acquainted with grief.
God’s men live in a state of hope deferred. Abraham left his father’s house and all he had to follow a God who never let him arrive at his destination. The writer of Hebrews tells us he lived in the land of promise as a foreigner, always looking for the city whose builder and maker was God. He never found it. He was promised a multitude of descendants and went for many years with no fulfillment of the promise. Taking matters into his own hands only intensified the frustration before God gave him one promised heir, through whom his multitudinous offspring would come. He never got to see them.
Moses also lived in anticipation unfulfilled. He led the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to the borders of the promised land, in the process turning a large extended family into a nation. He oversaw the implementation of a system of law and religion on the go. Moses performed the single greatest management task of all time. It is still unmatched. Yet God did not allow him to cross into in the land of promise. He died on a mountain with the objective of his 40-year dream in sight but out of reach.
God called Isaiah to a mission he would never accomplish. He told him to go preach repentance until everyone was carried away captive and the land was laid waste. Same for Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. He prophesied doom and when it came he spoke of God’s peaceful thoughts for a generation yet to come.
Likewise I believe Paul always held out hope that his brethren the Jews would come to Christ. The book of Acts ends on a sad note when Paul had one last audience with the Jewish elders in Rome. They remained unconvinced despite his best efforts. He finally realized that it wouldn’t happen, and gave up hope. Not long after that he was executed.
Jesus is the ultimate man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He came forth boldly proclaiming the advent of a new kingdom that would change the world. His excited disciples could not wait to go to Jerusalem to throw out the Romans. Jesus rode in like a triumphant king amid the praises of the people, and then provoked the religious leaders to have him put him to death. The kingdom did not come in the way everyone thought it would.
Despite our disappointment from hope deferred, we maintain anticipation of ultimate fulfillment. Jesus’ death was not in vain, because his resurrection promises an eternal future of satisfaction. Isaiah chapter 65 speaks of a time when we’ll live to accomplish our dreams. A time when God’s justice will reign and peace and contentment will be the order of the day.
In the meantime our calling to be faithful patriarchs is a constant encouragement for hope. Living into our responsibility and purpose, leading our families in God’s work of redemption and restoration, gives us continual glimpses of the kingdom that is both here now and yet unrealized until eternity descends on us in the resurrection as Isaiah describes so vividly. When we let grace and peace abide in our homes we give others glimpses into what that day will be like.
Men of sorrows, be of good cheer. Jesus has overcome the world, makes all things new, and sets us on the path to fulfillment in him. Live into his grace. Live in anticipation. Build the kingdom, beginning in your own domain.
The predicament is well documented. John Eldredge speaks of the wound men carry, torn when we have to separate from home and mother, and perpetuated when we never hear from father that we have what it takes to be a man. Keith Drury tells us we inherit a collective grief from all the blood we have collectively shed as warrior and defender. James Dittes writes of hope deferred and the sacrifices we make to defer our own lives for duty and honor.
As I ponder the matter I think there is a lot of truth to it. The choice to redirect our wild energies to patriarchal responsibility causes us to live disconnected in some way from the dreams of our childhood, when we thought about what we would do when we were all grown up. We focus our energies on wife and family, as we should, and gain a measure of satisfaction from that. “Midlife crisis” reminds us we haven’t quite made it and we probably won’t. In a sense we are men of sorrows. We are acquainted with grief.
God’s men live in a state of hope deferred. Abraham left his father’s house and all he had to follow a God who never let him arrive at his destination. The writer of Hebrews tells us he lived in the land of promise as a foreigner, always looking for the city whose builder and maker was God. He never found it. He was promised a multitude of descendants and went for many years with no fulfillment of the promise. Taking matters into his own hands only intensified the frustration before God gave him one promised heir, through whom his multitudinous offspring would come. He never got to see them.
Moses also lived in anticipation unfulfilled. He led the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to the borders of the promised land, in the process turning a large extended family into a nation. He oversaw the implementation of a system of law and religion on the go. Moses performed the single greatest management task of all time. It is still unmatched. Yet God did not allow him to cross into in the land of promise. He died on a mountain with the objective of his 40-year dream in sight but out of reach.
God called Isaiah to a mission he would never accomplish. He told him to go preach repentance until everyone was carried away captive and the land was laid waste. Same for Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. He prophesied doom and when it came he spoke of God’s peaceful thoughts for a generation yet to come.
Likewise I believe Paul always held out hope that his brethren the Jews would come to Christ. The book of Acts ends on a sad note when Paul had one last audience with the Jewish elders in Rome. They remained unconvinced despite his best efforts. He finally realized that it wouldn’t happen, and gave up hope. Not long after that he was executed.
Jesus is the ultimate man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He came forth boldly proclaiming the advent of a new kingdom that would change the world. His excited disciples could not wait to go to Jerusalem to throw out the Romans. Jesus rode in like a triumphant king amid the praises of the people, and then provoked the religious leaders to have him put him to death. The kingdom did not come in the way everyone thought it would.
Despite our disappointment from hope deferred, we maintain anticipation of ultimate fulfillment. Jesus’ death was not in vain, because his resurrection promises an eternal future of satisfaction. Isaiah chapter 65 speaks of a time when we’ll live to accomplish our dreams. A time when God’s justice will reign and peace and contentment will be the order of the day.
In the meantime our calling to be faithful patriarchs is a constant encouragement for hope. Living into our responsibility and purpose, leading our families in God’s work of redemption and restoration, gives us continual glimpses of the kingdom that is both here now and yet unrealized until eternity descends on us in the resurrection as Isaiah describes so vividly. When we let grace and peace abide in our homes we give others glimpses into what that day will be like.
Men of sorrows, be of good cheer. Jesus has overcome the world, makes all things new, and sets us on the path to fulfillment in him. Live into his grace. Live in anticipation. Build the kingdom, beginning in your own domain.
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