A theme of hope

Hope is a remarkable thing. You can’t fake it. My friend is hoping that the sun will shine this week. More than this, hope is what enables us to enter into what God has for us in authentic worship. This is the key to realising the heart of God for us. Some things hope says:

“Why are you not over the moon about Him? what are you lax and unable to enter in?” This is the great measure of what he has placed in us. It comes from encountering God – he restores hope

Some verses concluding that hope is as essential as breathing.

Hebrews 6:11 “And we desire each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end”

The book of Hebrews is all about the joyful suffering that goes with proclaiming His name. So in this verse he is saying that they’ve missed the mark – not having hope.

Here is another verse on hope:

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”

There it is again. When we proclaim the good news it is our hope that shines through. In other words, it’s our hope. That illustrates that we can know all the right things in the world, but if we’re serving up nothing that’s worth replicating, we will be brushed aside.

Hope is breathing.

This is important, but I’m going to return to the previous verses from Hebrews 6. Here is the context:

“For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end. That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:10-12)

Add in a couple of other verses:

Ephesians 1:15

“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love for all the saints”

in other words, it says “faith in the Lord Jesus” faith in Him. it includes these concepts together, faith, hope and love. (1 Cor 13:13)

What they’re saying, is the new body. What is the connection between the new body and our actions on the earth? Just that. Christ gives us a new body, one that is not diluted by weakness, or tarnished by frailty, or forged with the natural. He promises us a body that is not only powerful, but spiritual, glorious and eternal. Why? Because we will be with Him.

Why? Because it is to Him that we engage in this labor of love.

Unless you are bound with Christ, you are without hope.

Why? Because it’s a matter of life.

In fact, hope is breathing.

You’ll ask me “why am I struggling and powerless? Why am I dissatisfied with life?” to which I will reply, you have no hope.

It’s like the little child that is learning to ride a bicycle. It’s sure to happen that he falls down, and when He does, He cries. He gets back up, He gets back on the bike, and continues peddling. He eventually succeeds and never falls down again.

It’s like coming to a realisation that you’re called to succeed, called to be beautiful, lovely and pure. Called to be filled with hope of the way that God feels about you – dance like no one’s watching, sing until it hurts, live like there’s no tomorrow, and I will show a person that has hope.

Without being bound with Christ, you are without hope. You see, he poured out his life, his love, and expected no repayment. He died, he was buried, and descended to hell. There he was in the belly of the earth for 3 days, and on the third, he rose again. That’s why everything of life is found in Him, it’s because He’s been there. The assurance and affirmation that I need is found in Him – this is because I know that God has shown me that every indication is that He gave His best, His life, and that no one is like this man.

But this necessitates the question: “I’m totally barren of hope. How do I engage in authentic worship to God? How do I “ – ultimately – “engage with God in an honest way?” what is there for me? What is the answer?

To this I will share a new scripture with you.

Psalm 5:1,2 “Give ear to my words, O LORD

Consider my meditation” (Literally groaning)

“Give heed to the voice of my cry

my King and my God

for to you I pray”

Here, I’ve found it I’ve found the key to emotional honesty. It seems, honesty is emotional honesty. What is here described is “groaning, and crying” – don’t see these in terms of under some huge burden. See these as desperations of trying to articulate to God what it is you are asking for. Take heart, that “groaning” is heard by God. In fact there are times when God takes the tears of our failings and sojournings away from Him and puts them in a bottle. There are times when we are surrounded by enemies, and

Psalm 142:4

“Look on my right hand and see

For there is no one who acknowledges me

Refuge has failed me

No one cares for my soul”

How can there be hope in that? How can I say that and bristle with hope at the same time?

This is quite a remarkable question. But I can only leave you with this. David is refreshingly honest with God. He is able to say things that we just don’t.

In all of this, I say, give your all to Jesus. Count not the cost. Know that He is emotionally honest, He is gloriously able to lead us with the tenderness of a Shepherd. This is because He died to become your future.

You see, only when you love and are able to entrust to Jesus your future in his hands do you embrace death. Death no longer has a sting to those that are captivated, it no longer has a remorse to the one that loves. No regrets. And no quibbles with that.

I hope you now see why hope is living. It’s so crucial to live. You see it allows us to apprehend God’s promises as our very own. It allows us to be authentic and get up when we’ve fallen down. I’ll leave you to discover what new ways you can express hope to God and others.