It seems to me that during Christmas time each year, whether we are little children or grown adults, the “hope” card always seems to come out to be played in our conversations or at least in our minds. I can hear Jack say, “I’m hoping to get that new train set.” Molly says, “I’m hoping to get that new baby doll.” Jane says, “I’m hoping to get that diamond ring from my boyfriend.” Bruce says, “I’m hoping that we can all find peace in this world or at least in my life.” So what are you hoping for right now?
Some hope that the hint shared with a spouse or friend will appear as a surprise gift under the Christmas tree. Others hope to find that special person under the mistletoe they can love and share their life with for many decades together.
But where can we find hope beyond the Christmas season and Hallmark Christmas movies? Let’s see. I’ve seen hope on the faces of relatives when a loved one is in the hospital fighting for their life. Hope is also present with a young couple waiting for the positive results of the pregnancy test. Hope is also shared between the high school senior and his or her parents waiting for the college acceptance letter to arrive.
Where does hope come from? Is it a higher level of confidence or trust, as Webster’s Dictionary describes it, that the expected will be fulfilled? Is “hope” believing above and beyond just “wishful thinking”? What is the catalyst that produces hope; that yearning for all to be good, safe, secure and peaceful each day? Is it just another figment of our imagination for “wishing and hoping” that something will come true despite the odds? I can “wish and hope” to hit the lottery, but the odds are definitely stacked against me. Nevertheless, I still play with an ounce of hope. But is there a difference between wishing and hoping?
I believe there is a difference. As I understand it, human hope is linked directly with the dimension of time; i.e., we have a “present” perspective based on a “future” expected outcome. The key word here is “present”. God is with us in every present moment and that’s where faith comes into the picture. Faith means believing in something or someone, like God, who we cannot see. Hoping is using faith to produce a strong belief that the expected outcome will happen.
For instance, hope appears after the farmer has completed planting the seeds and faithfully waits for the abundance of crops to be produced in the coming months. Another example in this unprecedented year, as COVID-19 continues to take its toll on mankind across the world, we all are hoping for an effective vaccine to be created and then rapidly dispensed to everyone with the belief that it will halt the pandemic. Hope springs eternal, despite the odds against us.
As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “…For we live by faith, not by sight.” All life is NOT in vain or meaningless that we see expressed as the persistent theme throughout Ecclesiastes. To have life, is to have hope, not despair. If we have hope, then we first had to have faith to produce that hope. As such, I believe “hope” is derived from faith, a belief that what we want to happen will occur.
First, one must have faith, a little or a lot, any amount will do for producing hope in the heart and in the mind. Without faith, there can be no hope. Nevertheless, although we are surrounded with hope in every aspect of our lives, hopelessness, i.e., a place where faith and hope do not exist, is ever so present throughout the world as well. Unfortunately, someone who experiences hopelessness is also experiencing a deep loss of faith in their life. Keeping hopelessness at bay can sometimes be an even greater challenge. “Dear God, can I just get one good break in life?” But when those breaks don’t come, hopelessness starts to seep into the psyche. And before long, the ship called “HOPE” begins to slip beneath the surface and sink deeper into the sea of hopelessness.
Despite the fact that hopeless situations continue to increase, we are reminded that even the smallest amount of faith can inhibit the on-set of hopelessness. A thimble full of faith can stem the tide of giving up on our circumstances and life itself. Faith in God means we never give up and God most assuredly never gives up on us. If we truly believe in God, we can also have hope that He will rescue us from hopelessness. With God we have an unfettered amount of hope to see us through in anticipation of goodness coming into our lives despite the challenges we encounter. Mankind is resilient in pushing through adversity with God’s help. Hope is God’s way of encouraging us to hang in there.
The Old Testament is filled with messages and prophesies of hope for a coming Messiah who will rescue God’s chosen people. These words of hope resounded for Jew and Gentile alike for hundreds of years until Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Hope gave the Jewish people a good reason to hang on in life despite their many challenges. The prophets of old would say, “Keep the faith, keep hope alive, help is on the way.” Hope helped the faithful to endure in order to obtain eternal salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Hope for a better tomorrow made the wait worthwhile. A flicker of hope was like a small spark of light that one can see when engulfed in the dark pit of hopelessness. All is not lost, because the light of God is still there.
Faith produced the hope that was fulfilled as God blessed this world with His Son, Emmanuel (God with us). Hope for a better life for themselves or their children, kept them moving forward, looking up, and never giving up. True patience is a virtue wrapped in hope and immersed in faith.
I pray that as we draw closer to celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ on Christmas Day 2020, we can take a few moments to reflect on the unprecedented events of this unprecedented year. In that reflection, I pray that we will see God’s presence in every moment and in every situation. His power, love, majesty, mercy, protection and provision were always present to help us all as we walked through the turmoil and uncertainty this past year. I pray that hope will continue to spring eternal for you with an even stronger faith to see you through the remaining weeks of this year and anticipate God’s goodness being bestowed on us all as we enter the new year of 2021.
Be patient, be strong, keep the faith, keep hope alive, His help is on the way. Amen.
Live, Love, Grow in Jesus!!
Blessings,
Jerry
