Hope

“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee.” Psalm 39:7 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.” Psalm 62:5 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope;” I Timothy 1:1 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement…” Romans 15:4-5 It is clear. Hope is essential to living and to life. The source of it is divine in nature, not man-made effort through will or mental discipline. It is given by God the Creator and Father. It is experienced through Christ’s presence in his faithful followers. It is explained in detail in His Holy Scriptures, which are full of examples of every kind of circumstance, challenge, fear, treachery, physical, emotional, and spiritual test and battle any of us will ever face. So, what’s the secret to experiencing the power of hope in the midst of circumstances beyond our control…it is knowing who the source of it is, understanding the He Knows, He Cares, He is Willing, and He is Able, then believing He is at work in His time, in His ways, so that His purposes are revealed, and His glory is shown… as we wholeheartedly trust and continually seek Him.

H…umility

O…bedience

P…erseverance

E…ncouragement

The ‘enemies’ of hope are:

Pride...I don’t deserve to be treated this way

Disobedience…I need to take matters into my own hands

Giving up…I can’t take this anymore

Discouragement…This is never going to change, it is hopeless

My first experience with the above ‘enemies of hope’ happened after the collapse of a family business and being ready (for 12 long months) to relocate, escape, start over. I fully trusted (and had fervently prayed) that the Lord could and would open another door once one had closed. During the 12 months of enduring self-doubt, fear, terrible economic conditions, a disrupted job market, financial stress, and expanding family I experienced each one of the ‘enemies’ multiple times. During that period of testing God showed Himself to be absolutely faithful in answering prayers, guiding my steps [“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9], and creating unimaginable opportunities in every area of life. It has become obvious that what was truly needed was for me to realize how weak my hope was, and how amazing His process of giving hope is.

As Romans 15:4-5 speaks to, there are countless examples in Scripture ‘for our instruction,’ specifically so that we can see how to persevere and be encouraged. Here’s a short list that we may be fairly familiar with and be able to gain some divine insight from:

• Job…unexplained misery [in reality was purely spiritual warfare at its most severe] (1)
• Ruth…uncertainty due to natural losses [simply reality - loss, pain, fear, unknowns] (2)
• Joseph…victim of unjust treatment [human sinful tendencies in relatives, strangers, etc.] (3)
• Elijah…prone to fear and self-pity [in spite of amazing events, was easily immobilized] (4)

God knows we need Hope. He has provided us a ‘Living Hope’ in Christ, who is present in us and with us through the Holy Spirit. He has given us countless examples of His people in challenging circumstances that needed His Hope. He simply asks us to exercise our faith and trust in Him, believing that His promises are true. Our ability to experience the real “Power of Hope”will grow in proportion to our diligence and obedience. So, as we find ourselves challenged by various life circumstances, let us each remember: “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 May your Journey towards intimacy with Christ continue each day! Evans Rector (1.) Job 2:1-10; 3:3-11; 42:1-6, 10 (2.) Ruth 1:1-5; 2:10-12; 3:10-11 (3.) Genesis 37:2-4, 18, 23-24; 39:2-10, 19-23; 41:1, 38-40 (4.) I Kings 19:2-4, 9-14, 18