"SPEAK!" Life, Hope, Truth, Love, Faith...
“In the midst of the battle, when our faith is weak, as our nerves unravel — His peace we must seek.”
This poem doesn’t start with victory. It starts with weakness. With unraveling. When God gave me these words, I was living them. My faith felt thin. The struggle felt loud. And honestly, most days it felt more like a storm than a struggle. My heart was being tossed one way and then another by every wave of grief as it was magnified by the weight of our loss.
Here’s what I’ve come to understand: hope is not optimism. Optimism says “things will get better.” Hope says Someone is walking with you to make it better. The poem doesn’t point us to a brighter outlook — it points us to a Person: “He is our foundation, our light and our hope.” Jesus is more than a Savior who rescued us. He is our hope — the living, present, unshakable confidence that we continue to be held, right in the middle of the storm.
The poem gives us the picture that carried me: “In the midst of the storm, He is our sure ark.”
It describes hope beyond circumstances and peace within them!
A ship without a rudder is at the mercy of every rogue wave — and that was me. But think about the ark. Noah didn’t steer it. He didn’t calm the waters around it. He just rode out the storm by the grace God had provided — and the same storm that destroyed everything else carried him to his destination. “In Christ we stand tall and strong in the dark” — not because of our strength but because He is our ark!
In the days after we lost Kristen, people would ask how we were standing. The honest answer? We weren’t, really. We were being carried by God’s redemptive grace. “There is an intimacy in the midst of the storm that can’t be found in calm waters.” I know, because I found it there. His peace didn’t remove the storm. It met me inside it. “He gave us His Spirit to comfort our fears.” That’s not a verse on a card. That’s a Person in the storm guiding you home.
And here’s where it turns toward you — because this series was never just about us. Last week we talked about pondering the struggles behind the distant windows. This week, I want you to think about the people in your life who are in the midst of the battle right now. Their faith feels thin. Their nerves are unraveling. What will you speak to them?
Not a pep talk. Not “everything happens for a reason” or “just stay positive.” Those are well-meaning words, but they aren’t hope. Hope has a name. Speak Him. Tell them about the ark. Tell them they don’t have to steer — they just have to stay inside what God has provided. Tell them “from death unto life is the choice that He gave, to those who believe Him — it is the power to save.” That’s not wishful thinking. That’s a Person offering His hand in the middle of their storm.
The world is full of people trying to manufacture hope out of circumstances. Circumstances shift. But “He is our foundation” — and sure foundations don’t move when the storm comes. When you speak hope, you’re not offering someone a better point of view. You’re introducing them to the unshakable Hope — a sure foundation. You’re sharing His light and calling them out of the darkness of the world into intimacy with Him — which is, when you think about it, the whole mission.
“You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1Peter 2:9)
So here’s my question for you this week: who is in the battle? Whose faith feels thin, whose nerves are unraveling — and what would it look like for you to speak hope, not hype, into their storm?
You don’t need to have it all together to do this. The poem was given for the weak-faith moments. Speak hope from right where you are, and let Him be the ark for both of you.
A moment to reflect:
- Who in your life is in the midst of the battle right now?
- When you talk to them, do you offer optimism — or do you offer Him?
- What would change if you stopped trying to fix their storm and started pointing them to the ark?
A prayer to pray:
Jesus, You are our hope — our sure ark in every storm. When my faith feels thin and I’m tossed like a ship without a rudder, teach me to stay inside what You have provided instead of fighting the waves. And show me who around me is battling — give me the words to speak hope, not hype. Let me share Your light and call them out of darkness into intimacy with You. Be their ark, Lord. Be mine too. Amen.
SPEAK HOPE
In the midst of the battle
When our faith is weak
As our nerves unravel
His peace we must seek
He gave us His Son
To draw us near
He gave us His Spirit
To comfort our fears
In Christ we stand tall
And strong in the dark
In the midst of the storm
He is our sure ark
He is our foundation
Our light and our hope
Our burdens he lifted
Thru the truth that he spoke
From death unto life
Is the choice that he gave
To those who believe Him
It is the power to save
