The Battle of Scarif was the first time the Rebellion deployed its main fleet in open combat against the Empire.
In doing so, it took heavy losses but was able to hold its own and accomplish its mission to retrieve the Death Star plans.
At the battle’s end, Princess Leia’s ship receives a message, and when asked, “Your Highness. The transmission we received. What is it they’ve sent us?” She replies, “Hope.”
After all that death and destruction, the battle was worth it since they now had plans they could “only hope that when the [Death Star’s] data’s analyzed a weakness can be found.”
In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, Paul boasts about his heritage (verse 22) and the sufferings he had gone through (verses 23-28).
Paul was given hope during his hardships.
He continues to boast in chapter 12, but there is a moment in verses 9-10 when Paul sees the reason for what he has gone through and is going through.
Paul states, “But He [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
What was Paul’s hope?
The reassurance that the Lord was with him and that when Paul was at his weakest, when it seemed like his case was lost, then the Lord’s power would be made perfect.
When we go through hardships and loss, we need to remember that our hope needs to be in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read Romans 15:13
1 Timothy 1:1
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
1 Peter 1:3
