“Our ability to endure, to persevere, to overcome is fuelled by the one seemingly innocuouse ingredient called hope.” (Erwin McManus)
Hope is an essential, but apparently innocuous, ingredient in a life of faith. Without hope, our lives are meaningless, lacking shape and form. Hope tells us that the current chaos of ‘now!’ is not all there is; it anchors us in the reality of God’s explosive presence and power. It reminds us that there is more to life what our natural eyes can see. It keeps us steady when the storms of doubt and adversity come, whisking us off our feet with terrifying alacrity and keeps us going when exhaustion threatens to lay us out.
Hope looks innocuous, though. It is a chirpy little thing, unlike the huge, solid boulder of despair, and we may well wonder how such a slight quality can overcome such a daunting enemy. Casting Crows give us a clue as to how hope works: by changing our perspective:
‘But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground,
And the waves, they don’t seem so high,
From on top of them looking down.
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me.’ (‘The Voice of Truth’)
Today, in the midst of darkness, doubt and despair, let the hope about which the Bible teaches fill our hearts and lift us up: ‘May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ (Rom 15:13)
