In November of 2020, a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea struck Turkey and Greece, killing 71 people and injuring more than 900. There is an amazing survival story of a 55-year-old man who was extricated by rescue workers after being trapped under a collapsed building for more than 33 hours. The Turkish health minister who talked to the man later in the hospital tweeted that the survivor, Ahmet Citim told him, “I never lost hope.” In what seemed like a hopeless situation, Ahmet Citim hoped that someone would come to rescue him.

You may not be trapped in an actual earthquake, but your life might feel like it sometimes. Do you feel buried underneath the worries and anxieties of this life? Do you feel a sense of hopelessness and desperation in your life? Do you feel like you are losing hope? Do you feel trapped like an earthquake survivor with nowhere to go?

If you find yourself in this state right now, then don’t worry. Every human being has felt this way, at some point in their life, until they find “The One”. No, not Neo from “The Matrix. I am talking about “The One and Only”. You might have heard his name. I am talking about a Jewish carpenter named “Jesus Christ”, whose only mission in life was to provide hope for the hopeless.

You might say “What does this Jewish carpenter have to do with my life?” He lived some 2000 years ago. What can He do for me now? He is not around anymore. How can He help me?

The birth and death of Christ were so significant in human history that they had to separate everything that happened before Christ (B.C) from everything that happened after Christ (A.D) into two parts. If splitting history in half doesn’t get your attention then maybe coming back to life after dying on the cross will? Jesus performed countless miracles like raising people from the dead, curing leprosy, giving sight to the blind, turning water into wine and the list goes on. He did things that no man could ever do. He did everything He could to make sure that mankind knew why He came to Earth. He might have come 2000 years ago, but He was very clear about his mission. It was to save all of us from our sin and give us hope. 

So, what does sin have to do with hope? The reason we are all feeling that hopelessness is due to sin. The Bible says in Romans 3:23; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Sin separates us from a sinless and perfect God. The relationship we had with God is broken due to our sin. The result is a deep void and hopelessness that can only be filled by God himself. Jesus took the punishment for our sins and paid the price for it on the cross so that we can have a relationship with God again. 

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The keyword here is “whoever”. If you are reading this, that includes you!

So if this is true and Christ really came to give me hope, what can I do to receive that hope? Romans 10:9-10 says “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Yes, all we have to do is believe that Christ came to save us. That is it! No strings attached! If you believe,  you will be saved. 

One way that rescuers look for survivors in an earthquake is to listen to anyone calling out for help. If survivors can call out somehow with the little strength they have left, it will help the rescuers find their location faster in the midst of all the debris.

This is the same with Jesus Christ. He is waiting for us to call out to him for help. He has made his name known to all mankind and He has made his mission very clear. He has given us a rescue plan. He has provided a way out. Now it is up to us to accept him as our only hope and be rescued from the hopelessness that we live in.

Mathew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

No one can ever force you to choose Christ, not even God himself. It is a choice that has been given freely to all mankind. We all make important choices in life. What about the biggest choice in your life? Will you choose hope and a life of salvation by believing in Jesus Christ?

Maybe you didn’t know that you had to be rescued, but now you know that there is a rescuer. He wants to save you and his name is known to all mankind. He has been the only hope for all human beings since the beginning of time and He will be till the end of time. 

There is hope for the hopeless. You know his name. The One and Only, “Jesus Christ”.