In the movie Gravity, veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski and rookie specialist Dr. Ryan Stone are working together in space to repair the Hubble Telescope. Out of the blue, Houston control aborts the mission, because a Russian missile hit a satellite, causing a chain reaction, and now there is a storm of debris raining upon the pair of astronauts. Soon they lose communication with the Mission Control in Houston. Kowalski drifts away, and Stone finds herself all alone.
Isolated and coming to grips with her mortality, Dr. Stone has the following conversation with God. Take a look (show Gravity Dr. Stone Praying video).
I'm gonna die, aren't I God? I know we're all gonna die...we're all gonna die. But I'm gonna die today! Funny that you ought to know. But the thing is I'm still scared … I'm really scared. Nobody will mourn for me; no one will pray for my soul. Will you mourn for me? Will you pray for me? Or is it too late? I mean, I'd pray for myself but I've never prayed in my life. Nobody ever taught me how. Nobody ever taught me how (Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron director, Warner Brothers, 2014, 0:59:15 to 1:00:20).
Dr. Stone was lost and alone with no hope for the future. Is that where you find yourself today? Then I invite you to turn with me to Jeremiah 33, Jeremiah 33, where Jeremiah and his nation find themselves in a similar predicament.
Jeremiah 33:1-5 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it—the LORD is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against the siege mounds and against the sword: They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil (ESV).
Babylon has laid siege to the capital city of Jerusalem. The houses of Jerusalem along with its royal palaces were torn down to provide wood and stone to bolster the walls against the siege ramps. But it’s all for nothing, for God had turned away from Jerusalem. He had hidden His face from them because of their idolatry.
Jeremiah told them this would happen. Even when all the other prophets predicted Jerusalem’s victory, Jeremiah predicted the Babylonian siege and Jerusalem’s destruction. Jerusalem’s king, Zedekiah, hated Jeremiah’s for it, so he branded Jeremiah a traitor, arrested him, and threw him into jail. Now, Jeremiah is locked up and all alone. Babylon is about to overrun the city, and they have lost all hope.
That’s when God speaks to Jeremiah and says (verse 3), “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
What else can you do when all hope is lost. All you can do is call out to the Lord.
Phil Callaway didn't know what to say when his young children asked if Mommy was going to die. His wife, Ramona, suffered horrible seizures.
Hundreds of friends and relatives prayed, but Ramona's weight eventually slipped to 90 pounds. Medical specialists tried everything, but by the fall of 1996, the seizures were occurring daily, sometimes hourly.
Phil rarely left Ramona's side. He wondered if she would even make it to her 30th birthday. One evening, when things looked utterly hopeless, Phil paced their dark back yard, then fell to his knees. “God!” he cried out. “I can't take it anymore. Please do something!” It was a cry of desperation.
Then suddenly, a doctor's name came to mind. Phil called the doctor, who saw Ramona the next morning and diagnosed a rare chemical deficiency.
Within a week, Ramona's seizures ended. Her eyes sparkled again. The miracle was so incredible, Phil says, “God gave me back my wife” (Luis Palau, Christian Reader, Jan/Feb 2002, pp.12-13; www.PreachingToday.com).
God restored Ramona’s health, and that’s the “great and hidden thing” God tells Jeremiah He’ll do for Judah and Israel. In his desperation, any possible good is hidden from Jeremiah’s eyes, but God tells him…
Jeremiah 33:6-9 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it (ESV).
God says I will restore their fortunes, I will remove their sin, and I will reinstate their honor among the nations. As a result, God’s people will rejoice!
Jeremian 33:10-11 “Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD: “ ‘Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD (ESV).
When God restores their fortunes, they will rejoice, and they will repopulate the land.
Jeremian 33:12-13 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks. In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD (ESV).
Certainly, shepherds will again tend their flocks in the land, but Jeremiah has already described God as Israel’s shepherd and the Jews as God’s sheep (Jeremiah 23:3; 31:10). So more than shepherds and sheep populating the land, God’s people will return to the land under God’s care as their Shepherd.
When all hope seems lost, God promises to restore His people. So, in your desperation, depend on that promise. Call out to God and…
COUNT ON THE PROMISE OF HIS RESTORATION.
Rely on God’s assurance of better days ahead. Trust in God’s commitment to renew your life as you commit it to Him.
In 1 Peter 5, God promises every believer: “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:10).
The suffering is only temporary. The glorious restoration lasts forever.
Three years ago (2022), Josiah Jackson, then 18, was at Chicago O'Hare International Airport when he spotted a public piano near Gate C17. As a pianist since the age of 4, Jackson couldn't resist trying it out, but after a few notes, he was disappointed. “It was absolutely the worst piano I have ever played,” he recalled. The keys were sticky, and the sound was terrible. “I thought, ‘One day, I’m going to come back to the airport to tune this piano for free and redeem myself.’”
Jackson’s journey to becoming a piano tuner began when he was 15. Although he loved playing piano, he didn’t enjoy the pressure of performing. “I decided to find another career that would keep me around pianos,” Jackson said. He shadowed a local piano tuner and immediately knew he’d found his calling. “I loved seeing and hearing the transformation of each piano,” he said. By age 17, he had dubbed himself The Piano Doctor and started sharing his tuning work on YouTube.
In 2024, Jackson finally got the chance to fulfill his promise to tune the O'Hare piano. After booking a return flight from Guatemala, he arranged an eight-hour layover in Chicago specifically to tune the piano. “I decided this is it — I’m going to tune that piano,” he said. He coordinated with an airport vendor to send his tuning equipment to the airport, taking care to avoid any issues with security.
When Jackson saw the piano again, it was in even worse shape than before. “It was in very rough shape… dust was everywhere, and there was a gluey substance under the keys that prevented them from working,” he said. After seven hours of cleaning and tuning, however, Jackson ended up playing “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a piece that inspired his love for piano. He said, “Even with a quick tuning, the piano actually sounded really good.”
The restored piano has since brought joy to travelers. Jackson’s YouTube video, where he shares his piano restoration process, has garnered thousands of positive comments. "I’m thrilled that people are playing the piano again," he said, proud that his effort brought music back to the airport (Cathy Free, “An airport piano was filthy and out of tune. He fixed it during a layover.,” Source, 1-24-25; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s God’s commitment to you as you trust Him with your life. He will restore those of you who are damaged and neglected. He will bring your life back into tune so you can bring joy to the weary travelers in this world.
So, when all seems lost, don’t lose your hope. Instead, call out to God, who will show you “great and hidden things” you cannot even imagine right now. Call out to God and count on the promise of His restoration. More than that, call out to God and…
COUNT ON THE PROMISE OF HIS RIGHTEOUS BRANCH.
Rely on the King God will send to rule and rescue His people. Trust in David’s descendant, the Messiah, who will save His people from their sins.
Jeremian 33:14-16 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness’ (ESV).
Because of her idolatry and wickedness, God had called Jerusalem “Sodom and Gomorrah” (Jeremiah 23:14). But after “the righteous Branch” comes, God will call Jerusalem “the Lord is our righteousness.” This descendant of David will totally transform the nation when He comes and change its shameful reputation into one that honors the Lord.
Now, just who is this “righteous Branch,” this descendant of David, who will save His people from their sins?
Well, in Matthew 1, an angel comes to a young man, who is seriously considering breaking off his engagement with Mary. The angel says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
Jesus is the righteous Branch, the descendant of David, who will save His people from their sins. So, in your despair, look to Him for deliverance. Trust Jesus to turn your shameful reputation into one that honors the Lord.
Now, this is the same promise God made in Jeremiah 23:5-6 with one very important change. Jeremiah 23 names the righteous Branch “the Lord is our righteousness.” Here, Jeremiah 33 names Jerusalem “the Lord is our righteousness.” In other words, God’s people take on the identity of their Savior, whose righteousness saves them, not their own.
2 Corinthians 5 says, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
On the cross, God treated Jesus like a sinner, so He could treat those who trust Him like saints.
Bryan Chapell tells the story from his wife’s childhood, when she and a neighbor girl were playing in some woods behind their homes. The neighbor girl wandered from the path and stepped into a nest of ground bees. As the bees began to swarm and sting, the girls began to scream for help. Suddenly, out of nowhere—like superman—the neighbor girl’s dad came crashing through the woods, leaping over fallen logs, hurdling vines and bushes. He swooped up a girl under each arm and tore through the woods at full speed to get away from the bees. As he ran, the father's grip bruised the children's arms, branches scratched their thighs, and thorns grabbed at their clothes and skin. The rescue hurt, but it was better than the bees (Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace, Crossway, 2001, p. 180; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s what God did for us. Even before we knew we were in danger, and even before we called out to Him, He came crashing into our world. From His throne above the universe, He hurdled galaxies and the infinite expanse of space to enter our world and rescue us from danger.
That’s why Jesus came. So, in your despair, look to Him. When all seems lost, don’t lose your hope. Instead, call out to God and count on the promise of His restoration. Call out to God and count on the promise of His righteous Branch. Then finally, call out to God and…
COUNT ON THE PROMISE OF HIS RESOLUTE WORD.
Rely on God’s unbreakable covenant. Trust in God’s sure and certain declarations.
Jeremian 33:17-18 “For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever” (ESV).
Now, there did cease to be a king on David’s throne in 586 B.C. when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. And the priests did cease to offer sacrifices when the Babylonians destroyed the temple in that same year. But God did not promise an unbroken monarchy or priesthood. He promised an unbroken line of descendants from David and the priests, who would be qualified to sit on that throne and serve in the temple when God reestablished them. In other words, David’s line would not fail before the righteous Branch came to claim His throne (cf. Luke 1:31–33) (Charles Dyer, BKC, Victor Books, 1985).
And indeed, that was the case. Nearly 600 years after this prophecy, “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:26-33).
Jesus not only fulfills the role of King forever. He also fulfills the role of priest forever, as well (Hebrews 5:6; 6:20; 7:3, 17, 21). He offered Himself once for all as the sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:10), and He rose from the dead.
“Consequently,” Hebrews 7:25 says, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
Jesus is the King-Priest, who continues forever! As a result, His people continue forever, as well.
Jeremiah 33:19-22 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me” (ESV).
If the sun and moon cease to shine, or if someone can count the sands of the sea, then God will break His covenant with David.
Jeremiah 33:23-26 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them” (ESV).
Even though it looks like God has rejected His people, the Jews, He assures them that He will restore them from their captivity in Babylon. And as long as the sun and the moon shines, He will remain committed to them.
Even though they later rejected their Messiah at His first coming, and even though Rome destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the Jews all over the world in A.D. 70, God will keep the promises He made to them. Already, He reestablished the nation of Israel 1900 years later, a miracle in and of itself! But the Bible says when Jesus returns, “They will look on Him whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37), and “They shall mourn for him” in repentance (Zechariah 12:11). As a result, “All Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26; Zechariah 13:1).
All of God’s promises are “yes” and “amen” in Christ, as certain as tomorrow’s sunrise, so you can count on them without fail.
And here’s the good news! Even if you’re not a Jew, when you put your faith in Christ, the Bible says that God grafts you into the tree of His people, so you too share in the promises He made to Israel (Romans 11:17-18; Ephesians 2:12-13), promises which He will never break! So, when all seems lost, count on those unbreakable promises. Depend on God’s sure and certain Word.
On May 26, 2013 at 4:30 A.M. the Jascon 4, one of three tugboats towing an oil freighter off the coast of Nigeria, started to sink. Harrison Odjegba Okene, the tugboat's 29-year-old cook, knew immediately something was wrong. As the vessel descended 100 feet to the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, pitched upside down, Okene was tossed back and forth in his small quarters. He groped his way in the pitch darkness through the icy waters, finally finding a cabin with a four-foot air pocket. He made a make-shift platform and stacked two mattresses together in his attempt to escape the rising water.
Dressed only in his boxer shorts, Okene sat on the mattresses and waited for help. But the thought of being rescued seemed remote. So Okene, a follower of Jesus, started to pray the Psalms: “Oh, God, by your name, save me,” and “The Lord sustains my life.” Okene told reporters, “I started calling on the name of God… reminiscing on the verses I read before I slept. I read the Bible from Psalms 54 to 92. My wife had sent me the verses to read that night when she called me before I went to bed.”
Two-and-a-half days later, Okene was certain the rest of the eleven-man crew had drowned and that he would also drown. Then he heard the sound of rescuers and started banging on the steel walls of his cabin with a hammer. The Dutch divers who found him couldn't believe their eyes. As they reached out for a hand of a man they assumed was dead, the hand grabbed theirs.
To this day, Okene believes his rescue after 72 hours underwater was the result of divine deliverance. He told a Nigerian newspaper, “The rest of my life is not enough to thank God for this wonder. It is incredible” (Heather Clark, “Nigerian Man Who Survived Three Days at Bottom of Atlantic Ocean Credits God for Survival,” Christian News, 12-5-13; www.PreachingToday.com).
At the bottom of the sea, when all hope seemed lost, God’s Word sustained Okene. It kept him alive until rescuers came. And even if he had drowned, God’s Word would have sustained him until he reached heaven’s shores.
Let me tell you. God’s Word will sustain you, as well, no matter how dire your situation. So, like Okene, commit some of God’s promises to memory and count on them, because God will never break His Word to you.
When all seems lost, don’t lose your hope. Instead, call out to God and count on the promise of His restoration. Call out to God and count on the promise of His righteous Branch. Call out to God and count on the promise of his resolute Word.
Dr. John Hannah, my church history professor at Dallas Seminary, was working on a sermon when his telephone rang and a student told him, “Last night my child died.” “What could I say to him?” Hannah thought. “I will say to him what I would say to anyone. It's captured in this gospel song:
When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace…
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay”
(John Hannah, Is There Any Comfort?” Preaching Today, Tape No. 32).
In your darkness, look to the light of God’s unchanging grace. Look to Jesus and find all the hope you need.
