Hope is more than you think. It is not some pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking. It is not a just a vision of a preferable future (although that’s good to have). It is not Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz who thought if she could just close her eyes and click her red shoes she would be back in Kansas City.
Isaiah describes hope:
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Anyone feeling hopeless? Tired? Weary? Isaiah understood that only those who place their hope and trust in God will feel renewed and experience freedom from weariness. Hope is tangible, available, powerful and needed by everyone. Hope is frankly what the world needs now.
Max Lucado writes in his book God Came Near:
Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed, no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the the flesh to see our reaction.
I am not by nature a cup half empty person. Every personality test I have taken has proven that I look at the cup half full and look through rose colored lenses much of the time.
Add God to that equation, and I try and look through His Kingdom lenses. I see hope in every corner of our lives spring forth like a glorious bouquet– often unexpected, sometimes unnoticed, but always bringing with it new life. But my hope is based on one fact- that God so loved the World that He sent His very best, His Son, to meet up with us on this planet we call earth and bring us His extravagant love, grace and mercy. He is the reason we have hope.
Not long ago, I decided I would go to the health clinic because I had a sinus infection. When I sat down in the waiting room, the nurse ran out and asked me to get out of my seat where she proceeded to spray down my seat with Lysol. To say I was stunned was an understatement, but the funny part was when she sprayed me down with Lysol! Apparently someone before me who had sat in the chair had just been diagnosed with the flu. Well… nice of her to spray me down, but my clothes are still days later airing out on my porch.
Dear friends, we cannot spray ourselves down with hope which, by the way, means, “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” We cannot put our hope in the desired thing or outcome we want. Instead we must put our hope in the Lord and He will sow into our hearts a deep sense of contentment; a deep sense of joy that only He can bring. Hope springs up like faith– assurance of what we hope for and certainty of what we do not see. If you are looking for the hope He can bring, I invite you to join me in my course, Living in God’s Presence, live or via streaming.
