The Sound of Hope

In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
—Psalms 95:4-6

What does hope sound like?
A familiar voice when you are all alone? A door opening as an anxious parent awaits the return of a daughter from a date? A siren announcing that help is coming? A nurse’s word of comfort, a doctor’s gentle counsel? A minister’s assurance?

What does hope sound like? For 33 men trapped for 69 days, 2,257 feet below ground in a Chilean mine, the first sound of hope was on day 17 when they heard the distant grinding of the drills being used to find them. Their only hope could come from above.


Imagine the moment! They sounded horns, and beat on the rock to help signal their location. The first drill to break through was met with shouts of joy and a spray can. Painting the bit red and jamming into it a note in bold red capital letters that read: 

ALL 33 OF US ARE WELL IN SIDE THE SHELTER.

When the drill was brought back to the surface shouts of joy and tears of gladness erupted as the red drill bit was seen and the note was read.

What does hope sound like? The voice of a spouse, daughter, or son on the crude, but oh, so wonderful phone that helped the miners talk with family they thought they would never see again.

The sound of hope came in the prayers that were shared with them, the counsel from the surface on how to stay healthy while waiting for rescue.

The most precious counsel came in the form of faith and T-shirts that the miners were given to wear. One of the Chilean papers noted: Another surprise was the shirts that most of them wore on top of the special suit they used when they emerged to the surface. The shirts, which have a large white star on a blue square and red on the chest, have written the phrase "¡Gracias Señor! Thank you Lord."

On the back it reads another sentence that says: "In his hand are the depths of the earth and the mountain peaks belong to Him… For Him is the honor and glory," which corresponds to verse 4 of Psalm 95. Pastor Carlos Parra, of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the Atacama Region, told Terra TV that the message of the T-shirts is "precious" and that while he knew his church had sent them, the miners kept them as a surprise and wore them.

Every day you have the opportunity to bring hope to patients and their families who like the miners find themselves trapped and desperate for hope. Take time to listen to them and assure them that they are not alone.

Hope indeed comes through your care and ultimately from above.