Help Me Obi Wan Kenobi, You’re My Only Hope
Most of us can imagine the blurry, bluish hologram speaking these words for the first time in the work room.
A cry for help that captures a young man’s imagination — who is she? Who is this Obi Wan? Could it be old Ben Kenobi? Why is Ben her only hope?
The answers to these questions drive Luke to start down a path that heads to great adventure, pain and loss, but ultimately great celebration.
We all know that after R2D2 wanders off in the next morning Luke goes after him, then he meets Ben and he gets listened to the whole message.
General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father’s request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I’m afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.
As you can see from her message, Leia has no firsthand knowledge of what Ben was able to do. She relied on what her father had told her about him.
This message from Obi-Wan starts Luke down a journey that eventually changes his life.
Chuck Colson is quoted as saying:
"Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that’s where our hope is in this country. And that’s where our hope is in life."
What is your hope in? Who or what is your “only hope”?
In 1 Timothy 1:1 we read “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope”.
Paul opens up his letter to Timothy by declaring that Jesus Christ is our hope.
If we make Jesus our only hope, he will lead us on a journey that will change our life and will bring about the greatest adventure we can possibly know.
To be brutally honest, I struggle making Jesus my only hope.
Often I put my hope and trust in my own abilities. It’s up to me to earn money in order to provide for my self and my family. Or at times, I’ll trust in martial arts training to feel safe and secure in a less than safe situation.
Leia put her trust in a former general in Jedi Knight, based on what he did years ago. She had no firsthand knowledge of what he did. She knew that "years ago you serve my father in the clone wars".
For people who have read the Bible, they’re like Princess Leia. They see that years ago God has done a lot of great things. I think the question for her and for us is, what is God up to now?
The late David H. Foster once said "if you don’t know what God is doing, look at what God has done."
While God may not be speaking directly to people in a pillar of fire or pillar of smoke, he still is talking and directing people. Just like he did with the prophet Elijah, he speaks with that still small voice.
We typically don’t need hope, when things are rosy and looking up. Typically we need to clean the hope when we are in a desperate time.
This is where I think Leia and I have something in common. We are in a desperate time and we cry out to someone (who we’ve heard stories about) that can help.
While I may want to cause a rollback in a beam of light shine down in here and audible voice of God telling me what he wants me to do. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
I need to learn to put my hope, not in what laws are passed or what great things we can do, but truly to put my hope in Jesus.
I know that when you put your hope in a person, you’ll be disappointed. Unless that person is Jesus.
Jesus is no lowly Jedi Master; He is the master of the universe. He is God’s son and He will never let you down.
Today is a day to proclaim “Help me Jesus Christ, You’re my only hope”.
