Hope

Dave continued our look at hope this evening, basing his sermon on Is 40:25-31. Hope helps us to cope with all the seasons of our lives. No matter what the season, the single most important attitude we can have is hope, for hope offers us a confidence (Biblical hope is not synonymous with ‘I wish’, but is a steadfast confidence in God.)

Hope ultimately rests on the fact that God is in control. Without this hope,we easily become depressed and discouraged. Hope helps us in different ways:

1. I can get started. Hope is like a starter motor, which helps us to be motivated and to get going every morning! Our attitude matters and hope helps us to be plugged in to God’s eternal purposes, adding meaning and purpose to our lives.
2. I can live with whatever burdens are in my life. Paul knew all about pressure and feeling overwhelmed (see 2 Cor 1:8-9), but he also learned how to endure and how to rely not on his own strength but on God’s.
3. I can go on. Florence Chadwick, the Channel swimmer, once failed in a swimming attempt because the fog obscured her vision of the shore. When she attempted the swim again, she succeeded because she did not let the fog distract her. So often, we are derailed by doubts, fears and insecurities (rather like the fog prevented her from completing her swim), but hope ultimately keeps us going, enabling us to persevere.1 Pet 1:6 reminds us that our suffering and trials are only for a little time when viewed in the perspective of eternity.
4. I can slow down. So often, we feel compelled to continue hurrying on, even if we’re not sure of our destinatin! If God is in control, however, we can slow down; we can afford to rest, because we know God doesn’t.  Ps 62:5 tells us to find rest in God alone and to look to Him for hope.
5. I can say ‘no’. Hope is the foundation of integrity and wholeness, being the motivation for purity (1 John 3:3) and the thing that enables us to resist temptation. 1 Pet 1:3 reminds us that we have been given new birth into a living hope.

The word ‘hope’ appears only once in the New Testament before the resurrection (Matt 12:21), but appears 70 times after the resurrection. The cross reminds us that God can turn the darkest place into a place of hope. The resurrection of Jesus Christ testifies to the power and light of God and reminds us that we have an eternal hope, not bound by death or the present age. We can have hope in every situation because of the Lord’s love and mercies (Lam 3:21-22). Is 49:23 and Rom 5:5 remind us that those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed (or put to shame.) Hope does not disappoint us because Biblical hope is rooted in God’s character, which is constant, faithful and true.