Episode Overview

Podcast: Living in the Light
Host: Anne Graham Lotz
Episode Title: Place Your Hope in Jesus (12/29/2024)

Theme/Purpose:
In this episode, Anne Graham Lotz delivers a heartfelt message on finding unshakeable hope in Jesus amid troubled times. Using John 14:1-6 and Revelation 21 as her foundational texts, Anne invites listeners to redirect their focus from worldly anxieties to the enduring promises of Christ. She shares personal stories of hardship, loss, and faith while emphasizing the hope believers have in Christ's person, His prepared place, and His promise to return.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Refocusing Christmas—Asking Jesus for His Gift

• Anne shares a family tradition, inspired by her father Billy Graham, of asking the recipient what they’d like for Christmas. She applies this to her relationship with Jesus, asking Him what He wants for His birthday (00:27–01:57).
  • Quote: “So, I just ask Him around Thanksgiving what He might like for me to give Him for Christmas, which is His birthday… it's usually something that's sacrificial in nature, something I wouldn't do except the King asked me to give it to Him for His birthday.” (01:21–01:38)

2. Our Troubled World—Empathy and Connection

• Anne relates the “holiday hassle” and emotional burdens faced by many during Christmas, including estrangement, loss, and loneliness (03:07–04:08).
  • She shares a poignant encounter at Home Depot:
    • Quote: “‘I hate Christmas,’ he said. ‘I spend it by myself. It's just another day off. I don't like my family.’” (03:40–03:57)
• She underscores that troubles are not just global but deeply personal.

3. Biblical Hope Defined

• Anne differentiates biblical hope from mere wishful thinking, saying:
  • Quote: “Biblical hope is not a hope-so, it’s confidence.” (05:24–05:26)

4. Four Confidences for Troubled Times

Anne outlines four things believers can be certain of in Jesus, as drawn from John 14:

a) Confidence in Jesus’ Person

• Jesus is not just a historical figure; He is the eternal Creator, God incarnate (05:43–08:01).
  • Quote: “When you look at Jesus, you see God… When you hear Jesus, you’re listening to God.” (08:11–08:17)
• Jesus’ birth at Christmas was God Himself entering our troubles. He lived, died, and rose again for individual salvation (08:34–09:14).
  • Quote: “Don’t let anybody ever tell you He was murdered. ...He gave His life. You can't take the life of the Creator.” (08:38–08:52)
• The gift of salvation must be personally claimed:
  • Quote: "He died for the sin of the whole world...but it doesn’t apply to you until you claim it for yourself." (09:02–09:04)

b) Confidence in the Place Jesus Prepares

• Jesus promises a heavenly home (09:56–11:18).
  • Anne uses her father’s hospitality as an analogy—the personal touch, anticipation, and love mirrored by Jesus in preparing a place for each believer.
  • Quote: "When I came home, I was welcomed. I’d been expected. I’d come home. I’m the Father’s child. And Jesus is preparing a place for you." (11:00–11:16)
• She expounds on Revelation 21—a perfect place without separation or suffering (11:30–13:28).

c) Confidence in a Place Without Suffering or Separation

• In heaven, suffering is eliminated—no death, mourning, pain, or brokenness (13:34–16:31).
  • Anne shares personal stories of loss (her husband, her father, her cancer diagnosis, her son’s COVID battle) to connect with listeners’ pain (14:10–15:32).
  • Quote: “One day we're going to go to heaven and God will take our face and put it between His hands and He's going to wipe the tears from our cheeks and He's going to say, ‘Oh, welcome home, child. There's no more suffering here.’” (16:17–16:31)

d) Confidence in Jesus’ Promise to Return

• Jesus’ promise to return is assured; Anne emphasizes the certainty and comfort this brings.
  • Quote: “Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. And do you know how I know? That He said so?” (17:18–17:26)
• She explains the rapture and resurrection using 1 Thessalonians 4, relating this to her own experience leading devotions with her father and reading this at his funeral (17:36–20:10).
  • Quote (reading Scripture): “We who are still alive…will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words…” (19:25–20:10)

5. Final Encouragements—The Signs of Jesus’ Return

• Anne references “the signs of the times” given by Jesus in Matthew 24—the global proclamation of the gospel and the rebirth of Israel (21:19–24:31).
  • Quote: “The Gospel is being preached to the whole world…we ratcheted up in our effort to take the Gospel to the whole world. And Jesus said, when the Gospel is being preached to the whole world, then the end will come. I believe we're living in then borrowed time.” (21:46–22:58)
  • The “fig tree” parable is interpreted as the rebirth of Israel in 1948—evidence for living in a prophetic generation (23:05–24:31).
  • Quote: “Jesus said when you see [Israel become a nation], the generation that sees that is the last generation.” (24:21–24:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “So, I just ask Him around Thanksgiving what He might like for me to give Him for Christmas, which is His birthday… it's usually something that's sacrificial in nature, something I wouldn't do except the King asked me to give it to Him for His birthday.”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (01:21–01:38)

• “Biblical hope is not a hope-so, it’s confidence.”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (05:24–05:26)

• “Don’t let anybody ever tell you He was murdered. ...He gave His life. You can't take the life of the Creator.”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (08:38–08:52)

• “He died for the sin of the whole world...but it doesn’t apply to you until you claim it for yourself.”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (09:02–09:04)

• “When you look at Jesus, you see God… When you hear Jesus, you’re listening to God.”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (08:11–08:17)

• “When I came home, I was welcomed. I’d been expected. I’d come home. I’m the Father’s child. And Jesus is preparing a place for you.”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (11:00–11:16)

• “One day we're going to go to heaven and God will take our face and put it between His hands and He's going to wipe the tears from our cheeks and He's going to say, ‘Oh, welcome home, child. There's no more suffering here.’”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (16:17–16:31)

• “Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. And do you know how I know? That He said so?”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (17:18–17:26)

• “We who are still alive…will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words…”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (Read from 1 Thessalonians 4) (19:25–20:10)

• “The Gospel is being preached to the whole world…we ratcheted up in our effort to take the Gospel to the whole world. And Jesus said, when the Gospel is being preached to the whole world, then the end will come. I believe we're living in then borrowed time.”
  —Anne Graham Lotz (21:46–22:58)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• (00:27–01:57) | Anne’s family tradition: asking what Jesus wants for His birthday.
• (03:07–04:08) | Reflection on personal troubles and a story of holiday loneliness.
• (05:24–05:31) | Defining biblical hope as “confidence.”
• (05:43–09:14) | Christ’s eternal nature, incarnation, and redemptive work.
• (09:56–11:18) | Jesus preparing a specific place for each believer.
• (11:36–13:28) | Heaven as a place absent of suffering and separation.
• (13:34–16:31) | No more suffering in eternity—sharing personal grief and comfort.
• (17:18–20:10) | The promise of Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead.
• (21:19–24:31) | Biblical prophecy: The gospel to all nations and the rebirth of Israel.

Summary Tone

Anne’s language and tone throughout the episode remain pastoral, earnest, and tinged with deep empathy born of personal experience. She never shies from acknowledging pain but always steers listeners to Christ’s hope and promises, frequently addressing the listener directly (“Listen to me…”) and weaving personal warmth and humility through her biblical teaching.

Conclusion

For those seeking assurance, consolation, or a biblical perspective amid the uncertainties of our time, Anne Graham Lotz’s message is clear: hope rests in Christ—His person, His promise, and His prepared place. This episode provides heartfelt encouragement to “place your hope in Jesus,” reminding listeners that amidst all earthly troubles, the best is yet to come.