"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" Romans 12:12
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1
Hope is defined as the belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen. Or, also as the virtuous desire for future good.
We all have hopes. Throughout our lives, there are things we hope for. Some are immediate and some can be for many years down the line. We hope for the future, ourselves, and for others. We hope our basketball team will win the championship. We can hope we do well on exams and tests. We hope that our children will do well. We even hope we make some place on time.
Then, there are the times we hope that its not bad news. We hope someone will pull through, that we will have more time with them. Hopefully, the medical tests will return and all will be well. Even, in our darkest moments, we may still hold out a sliver of hope.
There is definitely a fine line between being hopeful and a feeling of hopelessness. We move along that spectrum daily, even hourly. On different subjects. We can be hopeful on this situation while at the same time being weighed down with hopelessness on a different situation. Even Christians, like me (especially me)get caught up in feelings of hopelessness. Being stuck in a hopeless situation. We all experience these feelings at some point.
The question then becomes as to where do we turn to when things feel hopeless. There are many answers, and not all of them are good. We can rely on our own strength, but that can only take us so far. We can numb it medicinally, like alcohol. Which is only a temporary solution which leads to even bigger issues. One can even give up allowing ourselves to plunge deeper into hopelessness which can lead to guilt, despair, and bitterness. All of these "solutions" are fleeting.
God wants us to place our hopes in Him. Not as easy as it sounds, I know. Especially at times when it appears that's not the best solution. The world can give the impression that it is not wise to hope in God. But, that is where our hope needs to be, in the eternal God.
This isn't to say that we might hope God will do something for us and it might not happen. There are many stories like this. I'm not smart enough or brash enough to speak for God when this occurs. God's plans are bigger than mine. God's ways are better than mine. God knows better than me.
You can say, "That sounds all fine and good, Chris. But, that's not what I am seeing."
"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face" Job 13:15
Can we all agree Job had some really trying moments in his life? He lost so much and carried on. It is interesting that he still casts his hope onto God, but adds that he will still defend himself to God's face. He hopes in God but still he might question God's motives. It gives me hope that it's OK to question God or even got angry with Him if we are feeling it. Job had reasons to be angry. David got angry when Uzzah was struck down touching the ark. God doesn't have to explain Himself to us, but it is comforting to know that we can be honest in our feelings towards Him and yet retain our hope in Him for the best.
We are all going to undergo some kinds of suffering in this life. Why do some go through more than others? I don't have a good answer. It does allow us to empathize with others who are undergoing hardships. We understand what others go through and can be used by God to help them hope. It allows us to build faith in God as well. God allows certain things to happen to build to something good. Maybe it's not the obvious stuff. Maybe it is strengthening or repairing relationships. Maybe it is drawing closer to God. Gaining wisdom and insight. There are no guarantees in this fallen world. There will be sickness, pain, and suffering due to sin in this world, ours and others. We need to place hope in something much bigger than this world.
My hope is in God. Some days better than others. Even when it is mysterious, makes no sense, and the result is unknown.
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1
Hope is defined as the belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen. Or, also as the virtuous desire for future good.
We all have hopes. Throughout our lives, there are things we hope for. Some are immediate and some can be for many years down the line. We hope for the future, ourselves, and for others. We hope our basketball team will win the championship. We can hope we do well on exams and tests. We hope that our children will do well. We even hope we make some place on time.
Then, there are the times we hope that its not bad news. We hope someone will pull through, that we will have more time with them. Hopefully, the medical tests will return and all will be well. Even, in our darkest moments, we may still hold out a sliver of hope.
There is definitely a fine line between being hopeful and a feeling of hopelessness. We move along that spectrum daily, even hourly. On different subjects. We can be hopeful on this situation while at the same time being weighed down with hopelessness on a different situation. Even Christians, like me (especially me)get caught up in feelings of hopelessness. Being stuck in a hopeless situation. We all experience these feelings at some point.
The question then becomes as to where do we turn to when things feel hopeless. There are many answers, and not all of them are good. We can rely on our own strength, but that can only take us so far. We can numb it medicinally, like alcohol. Which is only a temporary solution which leads to even bigger issues. One can even give up allowing ourselves to plunge deeper into hopelessness which can lead to guilt, despair, and bitterness. All of these "solutions" are fleeting.
God wants us to place our hopes in Him. Not as easy as it sounds, I know. Especially at times when it appears that's not the best solution. The world can give the impression that it is not wise to hope in God. But, that is where our hope needs to be, in the eternal God.
This isn't to say that we might hope God will do something for us and it might not happen. There are many stories like this. I'm not smart enough or brash enough to speak for God when this occurs. God's plans are bigger than mine. God's ways are better than mine. God knows better than me.
You can say, "That sounds all fine and good, Chris. But, that's not what I am seeing."
"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face" Job 13:15
Can we all agree Job had some really trying moments in his life? He lost so much and carried on. It is interesting that he still casts his hope onto God, but adds that he will still defend himself to God's face. He hopes in God but still he might question God's motives. It gives me hope that it's OK to question God or even got angry with Him if we are feeling it. Job had reasons to be angry. David got angry when Uzzah was struck down touching the ark. God doesn't have to explain Himself to us, but it is comforting to know that we can be honest in our feelings towards Him and yet retain our hope in Him for the best.
We are all going to undergo some kinds of suffering in this life. Why do some go through more than others? I don't have a good answer. It does allow us to empathize with others who are undergoing hardships. We understand what others go through and can be used by God to help them hope. It allows us to build faith in God as well. God allows certain things to happen to build to something good. Maybe it's not the obvious stuff. Maybe it is strengthening or repairing relationships. Maybe it is drawing closer to God. Gaining wisdom and insight. There are no guarantees in this fallen world. There will be sickness, pain, and suffering due to sin in this world, ours and others. We need to place hope in something much bigger than this world.
My hope is in God. Some days better than others. Even when it is mysterious, makes no sense, and the result is unknown.
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