Topic: Dispenser of Hope [David Jeremiah Ministry 18 August 2021 | Turning Point Ministries]

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Dispenser of Hope

AUGUST 18, 2021

But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One.
Jeremiah 20:11

 Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-11

Hospital chaplain Scott Jensen described his turbulent year of bedside ministry during COVID. In the early days of the pandemic, physicians were shocked at the condition of patients, who came into the hospital walking and talking, but within hours were unable to do either. “Those [moments] were excruciating for everybody,” Jensen said. As months passed, the strain of hospital work grew. The question is: Who comforts the comforter and refills the dispensers of hope?

“I’m grateful that the good Lord does,” Jensen said, adding that he regularly felt God’s presence. “He refills my tank.”[1]

In Jeremiah 20, the prophet records being whipped and placed in stocks. After his release, he composed a prayer filled with emotion, doubt, despair, anger, and hope—all rolled into one prayer. His emotions were frenzied, but one thing he knew for sure—the Lord God was with him.

In our loneliness, we can always remember we are never alone. God is with us. He dispenses hope and His presence keeps our tanks full.

True peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.

Alexander MacLaren

[1]Tammy Real-McKeighan, “Nebraska Hospital Chaplain Recalls Painful, Beautiful Moments During Covid-19 Crisis,” Fremont Tribune, April 17, 2021.