God's Healing Gift Of Hope

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Many critics of the Christian religion criticize it because they feel that Christianity is based upon mere hope, that is, wishful thinking. In fact, hope, like faith itself, is a beautiful and precious gift of God and it is fundamental to the Christian faith.

I will acknowledge that there are two types of hope—the garden variety which says things like, “I hope we win the World Series this year”, or, “I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend”, or, “I sure hope the geography teacher doesn’t give us that test today”. Such statements are mere wishful thinking and have nothing to do with the deepest longings and aspirations of the soul. But there is a far more important and significant kind of hope—and this kind of hope, like faith, not only touches the recesses of the soul, it too, like faith, is a gift from God made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul gives this blessing in Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Hope, in the Christian sense, is not the same as mere wishful thinking. We need never be apologetic for a having Christian hope. Such hope is a testimony of the new life that we have received in and through Jesus Christ. Those who suggest that our hope is “mere wishful thinking” have not experienced the hope celebrated by the Christian community. When Christians speak of hope, we are not speaking of the garden variety of hope, but rather the profound gift of unquenchable confidence given to us by our Savior. This hope, Christian hope, is something precious to be both treasured and shared.

In Jeremiah 29:11 we read: “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

In Romans 5:5 we Paul writes: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

In First Timothy 4:10 Paul writes: “For to this end we toil and suffer reproach, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

In Titus 1:1-2 we read: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the world began.”

In 1 Peter 1:3-6 we read: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”

We are only human, and sometimes in our human weakness hope, even Christian hope, can be difficult to maintain. Our hope, like our faith, can be tested by life’s many difficulties. Poverty, loss of loved ones, failing health, and other adversities may result in a weakened hope in need of repair. But never doubt that hope lives, even when diminished.

The American poet Emily Dickinson has written a poem that also speaks of encouragement, even at times when adversity has caused it to diminish:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never in extremity

It asked a crumb - of me.

Here in this poem, Dickinson uses the metaphor of a small beleaguered bird to capture the reality of assailed yet undying hope. Sometimes hope beaten down until it may seem to have been blotted out, and yet, its voice sings on. Sometimes hope seems forgotten, only to be rediscovered. Like a small bird that sings in the face of the strongest wind and most powerful storm, hope never asks for anything from us--it is just there to help us when we need it.