Crisis and Hope

Do you ever feel disappointed?

That’s a stupid question, I realize. Obviously you have. We all have.

This topic came to mind yesterday as I observed the expressions of anguish on the faces of the losing Kansas City Chiefs players toward the end of what turned out to be a surprisingly one-sided Super Bowl. Clearly events had not turned out the way they expected, and they were visibly devastated along with legions of their devoted fans.

Later, when I went back to turn off the TV, I found a sitcom playing (with no one watching it). The characters were discussing how New Year’s Eve is the most disappointing evening of the year. Why? Because everyone has great expectations for the festivities, and the reality inevitably turns out differently.

Missed expectations lead to disappointment. It’s a universal human reality.

This comes up time and time again in Scripture. Cain was disappointed (murderously so) when his sacrifice was rejected when Abel’s was accepted. Jacob’s dreams of marital bliss with Rachel were dashed when Laban substituted Leah as the veiled bride. The Israelites expected a cakewalk into the Promised Land, rebelled when it turned out there were giants to contend with, and had to massively readjust expectations as they faced 40 years in the wilderness instead. Elijah expected a revival after his successful showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and instead found himself on the run from the wrathful Queen Jezebel. In the New Testament, John the Baptist, the disciples, Mary and Martha, and others dealt with disappointment when their expectations clashed with God’s reality.

One of the most compelling cases to me is the church in Thessalonica. The believers there expected Christ to return right away but had to endure persecution when it turned out God’s timeline was different from theirs. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the apostle Paul offered encouragement for those struggling with hopelessness, describing what would eventually happen and concluding, “So encourage each other with these words.” Apparently one letter wasn’t enough, however, since he returned to the topic of Jesus’ second coming in 2 Thessalonians 2, advising the church not to be fooled or shaken or alarmed by false claims of divine deliverance but to stand firm in the faith while awaiting Christ’s appearing.

Disappointment is a fact of life, even for Christians. We can’t avoid it. The question is what to do about it.

There are things I’m disappointed by when I consider the present circumstances of the world. You’ll read about some of them below. (The outcome of yesterday’s game is not one of them, by the way.) But I take great comfort in the knowledge that God is sovereign. He holds history in his hands, and he has promised a glorious future that transcends present disappointment for all who follow him. Paul said it best in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, at the end of his commentary about the Second Coming—“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.”

Amen and amen!

Here’s what’s happening.

Crisis in Congo
In late January, an armed rebel group known as M23 started a rapid advance toward Goma, the capital of the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The initial attack was held back by the DRC military and some UN peacekeeping forces on January 25, but the rebels broke through the next day. M23 forces captured Goma International Airport on January 28, and by the end of the day on January 30, the rebel group effectively controlled the city. Last weekend, word got out that M23 operatives were targeting civilians in Goma. According to some reports, as many as 4,000 people were killed over the weekend, and tens of thousands more have been displaced from their homes. I reached out to a THF partner who lives in Goma and got confirmation. He told me the city is in shock. Many innocent people have died or are gravely wounded, including at least two staff members in this partner’s church. Others seem to have been miraculously spared, surviving point-blank gunfire without harm. Houses and churches have been looted; hospitals are overwhelmed. This is a huge setback given some exciting ministry developments that have taken place in the past year, including a big event THF funded where around 19,000 people in the province came to Christ. Now, our partner reports, as the city buries its dead, “The Church is bleeding, but we are still strong in the Lord. Suffering is used by the Holy Spirit to bring high receptivity to the gospel.” Please pray for the Lord’s intervention in Goma, for peace, and for our partners there to remain strong in their faith and committed to their mission amid crisis and tragedy.

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March for Life Report
On January 24, tens of thousands of pro-lifers gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life. This event is intended to be a celebration of life from conception to natural death. In the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, hundreds of thousands of abortions still take place every year, and March for Life participants aim to draw public attention to that fact. This year, Wheaton College sent some 80 students to the march, and THF Executive Assistant Debbie Pederson went along, participating in the march itself and then attending a pro-life conference along with a tour of the Museum of the Bible. She reported, “Pro-life rally and conference activities included speeches from President Trump, Vice President Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Majority Leader of the Senate John Thune, and many others including Tyndale authors Dr. Ben Carson and Abby Johnson. Monuments built to national heroes heralded tribute, and weather was wintry warm for participants.” One of the highlights for Debbie was seeing the Megiddo Mosaic at the Museum of the Bible. The mosaic includes several inscriptions dating from the first century, including one referencing “God Jesus Christ.” Debbie wrote, “Who knows? Perhaps a book we publish today will be used by God to encourage saints in the centuries to come. May Tyndale be used for Your glory, Lord Jesus!”

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Praying for China
China is very much in the news right now with much of the world’s attention given to the emerging threat of a trade war between China and the US over tariffs. The surprising launch of Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek last month sent shockwaves throughout the industry as Western companies wrestled with the implications of an Asian competitor replicating their work for a fraction of the cost. Meanwhile, serious questions remain about Chinese human-rights abuses and censorship of any communication that could be construed as negative toward the Chinese government. Interestingly, a writer for Christianity Today experimented with asking DeepSeek about the underground church in China. Rather than shutting down the conversation immediately (as happens if the AI system is asked about Tiananmen Square or Taiwan or the treatment of Uyghurs), the computer seemed to give some sage advice. But according to THF grantee ChinaSource, DeepSeek’s general limitations on political topics are a reflection of the limitations Chinese citizens live with every day. Chinese pastor Pan Xihong, writing for China Partnership, advises Western believers to pray as specifically as possible for people, ministry organizations, and events in China. If you need ideas about how to pray for China, the THF prayer book is a great resource, or feel free to contact me with questions about what our partners are doing there and how you can be lifting them up before the Lord.

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Spotlight on Theological Education
In early March, hundreds of scholars, educators, resource partners, and ministers will gather in Tirana, Albania to talk about theological education. Hosted by the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE), the conference will focus on important issues related to theological education such as technology, indigenous curriculum design, the emergence of micro-credentialing, how to resource church movements, women in the academy, and more. With the event now less than three weeks away, the countdown is on, and prayer is needed that the Lord will guide every discussion, decision, and relationship. I will be attending the conference and will provide a full report afterward, but for now I wanted to let you know it’s happening soon so you can be praying. The rise of theological education as a mission priority is one of the trends we’re tracking in global philanthropy, so a conference led by a trusted partner focused on what’s next for theological education is a strategic opportunity for engagement. I’m also encouraged by the number of THF partners and friends who will be taking part in the discussions. Please pray for safety in travel, creativity in collaboration, and outcomes that are honoring to God.

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That’s it for this week’s briefing. Please send any questions, comments, and DeepSeek experiments to [email protected]. I send out this email resource most weeks primarily for a Tyndale audience, but you should feel free to share it with others who may be interested, inside or outside of Tyndale. Thanks for continuing to pray for and support our partners around the world.

Jeremy Taylor
President | Tyndale House Foundation

The THF Weekly Briefing provides information about significant events happening in the wide universe of Tyndale House Foundation partner organizations as well as an occasional peek behind the scenes of THF’s operations. It is available to anyone at Tyndale who’s interested in learning more about the Foundation side of the organization. Was this email forwarded to you? Contact [email protected] to be added to (or removed from) the distribution list.