Faith allows us to hope when we can’t see (see Hebrews 11:1). It allows us to survive when we don’t know how to. Hope causes us to dream of what might be amid what truly is.
Jack Yates, born a slave in Virginia, living in Texas in the early 1860s, had hopes and dreams. In the Juneteenth documentary, Yates’ descendants and historian Debrah Blacklock-Sloan explain how Yates dreamed of a fresh start for himself, his family, and his community. After the Civil War, Mr. Yates traveled to Houston, helped the area known as Freedmen’s Town to thrive, and became minister of the influential Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. With foresight, he and other former slaves built a new edifice in 1879. They took title to the deed to their building and land, and nurtured members’ talents with education and training.
Genesis 37–42 tells of another dreamer, Joseph. Sold into slavery, he suffered under unjust masters, and languished in prison for years. Prisoners he tried to help betrayed him. Yet hope in God inspired Joseph and gave him the ability to dream—and to interpret others’ dreams. God empowered Joseph to gain Pharaoh’s favor, preserve lives during famine, and to prosper his family and community.
Joseph’s and Jack Yates’ legacies testify to God’s trustworthiness. Knowing about their and others’ faith in God, from biblical times to the present, inspires hope that God is with us, encouraging us to dream.
