Prisoner of Hope

Lately, we have had some awesome progress with Joshua.  If we are Facebook friends, then you probably saw my posts about him saying 'drink' and 'sit down' last week.  This was preceded by more than a week of perfect bowel movements, which you may or may not know, is miraculous in itself for him.  We have been working hard on getting his gut healed with bio medical intervention probably more than we have anything else and it seems like it's finally happening.  Also, the weeks before that I had asked everyone who intercedes for him to begin targeting his gut and eating issues specifically when they pray.  So now here we are, he has been eating things that are not SCD legal, but mostly GF/CF, and his poop has been great.  That's when I really started taking extra notice of his behavior and lo and behold, that's when he said those words.  


Just to reiterate for those of you who aren't as familiar with all of this...When I say Joshua is non-verbal, I mean NON-VERBAL.  Zero words.  Zero attempts at words.  So for him to say not one but actually three words that were discernible to his therapist is HUGE progress.  I am so grateful and eagerly awaiting the next thing he says and praying I get to hear it.  I actually think he told me to 'go' the other day at the back door but I'm not 100%.  If you go long enough not hearing anything, you second guess everything you do hear, because you assume you're just being hopeful.  I guess now I will start paying more attention to the sounds he is making.


"Return to the stronghold [of security and prosperity] you prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will restore double your former prosperity."  
Zechariah 9:12 AMP


I have been marinating in this verse for a couple weeks now.  The phrase 'prisoners of hope' struck me in my heart.  I've asked myself a hundred times, what does it mean to be a prisoner of hope? 


It's no longer being captive to worry and anxiety, but being so tied to that anchor (Hebrews 6:19) that we cannot escape it.  Not just being held firmly stable by it, but guarded by it also.  Taking refuge in the stronghold instead of being oppressed by it.


It's an odd choice of words, actually.  When you think of being a prisoner, you don't think of it being something positive.  While thinking about all of this I remembered this story I'd heard about a family of slaves.  There was a law passed freeing some slaves, but then another that if you did not return to the state you came from then your freedom was revoked.  So part of the family would be forced to be separated again if they wanted to maintain their freedom.  So the one family member legally bought the others, so that he technically owned them, but only so they could stay and live out the rest of their lives with family.  So by the law they were still slaves, but in reality were treated as free because their owner was family.


There is so much symbolism in that I can't even go into all of it right now.  But it's much like being a prisoner of hope.  I am shackled to the hope of abundant life because I believe wholeheartedly in the promise of salvation in Jesus.  Hope owns my thoughts and my speech.  I don't do anything unless hope dictates it.


It is hope that has led me this far on Joshua's journey, and it is hope that will see it through.