Hope is a funny thing. To hope is to be human. And hope is tricky, because in everyday life, it can be difficult to really grasp and understand what our hope is in. God speaks to us, as believers, very clearly about what our hope should be in. I think most of us would say that our hope is in the Lord. And that’s good!
But nothing reveals the truth of what our hope is in like crisis. Gone are the flowery words and feelings of hope when calamity threatens everything we have. Hope begins to feel distant.
When we come to this place, my prayer for all of us is that we would let this be an opportunity. An opportunity to clearly see what we have placed our hope in. To honestly look at our hearts.
Am I more worried about my stock portfolio than my neighbors who don’t know Jesus?
Am I so worried about health that I am neglecting the Word?
Am I so fearful that I am not reflecting the goodness and sovereignty of our great God?
Do I care more about my earthly life than the reality of heaven and eternity with God?
Do my actions reflect the belief that Jesus is the King?
If you are like me, some of these will make you cringe or think more deeply. But lets not stop there. Lets push in on some of these things and draw near to God.
When we look at this place as an opportunity to see clearly, we begin to assume the correct posture. Lets confess our false hopes, repent of our false hope. But then what? What do we replace those hopes with?
The next step is to examine carefully in the scriptures what our hope really is.
1Peter 1:3-9
“”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Our hope is alive! Our hope is Jesus! Our hope is the salvation of our souls!
Our hope isn’t in changed circumstances, better security, physical safety, perfect health or any other earthly thing that will pass away. Our hope is in the One we love, though we have not seen Him. This is hope that can never be extinguished. This hope in the one who ransomed your life with His own, took your sin, shame and guilt on himself, can never be extinguished. The perfect, sinless, Son of God has paid your debt with His own life so that you can have eternal life with Him in heaven.This is the hope that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you. No earthly circumstance will change that.
As things all around us look bleak, dark and frightening, we cling to the promise that our hope is alive. We rejoice and praise God because we know that our short time on earth is nothing compared to the beauty of eternity spent with our Savior. We rejoice in the face of trials. As Jesus followers, our hope should be on full display in these challenging times. Talk to everyone you see about why you don’t fear. Why death is not the end for you. What Jesus has done for you. And praise God who has caused you to be born again to this living hope!