We live in turbulent times. From a global pandemic to political controversy to mental health issues, racial tensions, suicides, and gun violence, storms are brewing and sweeping the world. In times like these, we find our emotions going from extreme highs to severe lows. It is as if we are being tossed around like a ship on the sea as the rain pounds, the thunder deafens, and the waves crash all over us. If ever there was a need for an anchor for the soul, it is now!?
In my book, Hope Rising: Finding Hope in a Turbulent World (https://weservenow.org/books/). I dive deeper into the need for hope and what true hope is.
First, let us talk about what hope is not. Biblical hope is not the kind of worldly hope we often express when we hope our favorite sports team wins a game or championship. We may hope they win; we may be confident that they will win, but we cannot be 100% certain they will always win. This kind of hope is wishful, not guaranteed. We may also hope for the best in situations, or hope we have good luck with something, or kids may wish for certain gifts on their birthday or holidays, but this is not the kind of hope the bible speaks about.
Biblical hope is also not human optimism. Again, we often talk about "looking on the bright side" to try to provide a level of comfort or positivity in situations. While it is not wrong to see a glass of water as half full verse half empty to borrow another common expression about optimism, this is not the essence of Biblical hope. It is not a hope dependent upon human personality, or we must look deep within for or muster up within our strength.
Biblical hope is rooted and grounded in the unchanging nature and character of God. It is found in Jesus Christ, who is our immovable Rock. It is a hope anchored not just in the promises of God but the very person of God. It is a hope we receive from God as we look to him. And hope is vital to living a full and true Christian life.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love." In other words, when you boil down the true Christian life, you come away with three essential components: faith, hope, and love. The apostle Paul would note that love is the greatest of these, but that is because our faith will one day give way to sight, and our hope will be fully realized, while love will endure for all eternity as God is love. However, the fact that love is the greatest does not mean faith and hope are not critical to life here and now. On the contrary, they are essential and irreplaceable during our time on earth.
Interestingly, as I write in chapter three of my book Hope Rising, a chapter I titled, "As the World Gets Better, People are Losing Hope," there is an interesting global phenomenon happening. As people's standards of living improve, there is also a corresponding decrease in hope. A case can be made that we live in an era where more people are educated than ever before, access to health care has dramatically increased. People's overall standard of living is higher than at any other time in human history. However, despite all this outward progress, depression is the most significant health problem, and the suicide rate continues to increase as people lose hope. Even secular authors recognize we have needs beyond the material or physical. Emotional intelligence has been more popular in recent years, and people are paying more attention to their mental, emotional, even spiritual well-being, whether Christian or not.
Do you remember the story of when Jesus' disciples were caught in a vicious storm that threatened their lives? In Mark's gospel, we read this, "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:37-38).
It was not just their physical bodies that were being tossed to and fro. It was also their emotions. Perhaps you can relate. It may not be a physical storm threatening your life. It may not be actual water in which you fear drowning. Nevertheless, we all go through various storms in life in which we feel like we are going to drown, and God does not care.
The disciples interpreted Jesus' sleeping as not caring about their plight. However, Jesus' sleeping was evidence of his deep trust and peace despite the storm raging around them. He was not going to let the circumstances he was in dictate his emotional state. As he would demonstrate upon rising and calming the storm, the storm did not have power over him; he had power over the storm!
In Psalm 132, the Psalmist writes, My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself; I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.
What about you and me? God desires us not to be complacent but content and at peace in him. This is a very tender picture the Psalmist paints for us in the kind of posture we are called to embrace in a relationship with God. A weaned child with their mother is not concerned about the future. They are almost oblivious to what is happening around them. They are so secure in their arms of their mother, so satisfied in what she has provided, that they can rest fully, no matter the flurry of activity around them.
Jesus was not just seeking to calm the outward storm the disciples were so fearful of. He was trying to calm the inner storm raging in their hearts. He called them and drew them into a deeper trust and revelation of who he was and who God is. Perhaps we need to work on calming and quieting ourselves, not just calling out for God to calm or change our circumstances. While he may calm our outward circumstances, he can do a greater calming in our hearts regardless of our circumstances.
However, how do we calm ourselves when our emotions are all over the place? In Psalm 42, we find the Psalmist saying the following to himself, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Multiple times this refrain to put your hope in God and praise him is repeated because we need to remind ourselves of this multiple times!
Putting our hope in God is a choice, not a feeling. It is a decision of the will, not something dictated by our emotions. Putting our hope in God is not dependent on our situations, but something regardless of our circumstances.
We all put our hope in something or someone. The problem is when we are placing our hope in anything or anyone other than God. That is because anything or anyone other than God is subject to change. Our circumstances change. Our relationships are ever-changing. We are even changing! Only God remains unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Why not put our hope in the unchanging, unfailing, ever-faithful God who loves us with an eternal love? Only he will never disappoint us or fail us. Our expectations may fail us. Our desires may be misguided. Our emotions may betray us. But God is always faithful. The Apostle Paul prayed over the Roman believers:?May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13).
Isn't that the kind of life we all desire and are looking for? It can be our reality as we put our trust in him! Our job is to place our hope entirely in him. His responsibility is to fill us with joy and peace and cause us to overflow with hope.
Imagine yourself as an empty jar with a lid on top. When the lid is on top, it prevents anything from the outside from getting in. However, then imagine you open the lid. When the lid is open, it can receive whatever is poured into it. The moment you close the lid is the moment you stop receiving anything more. However, when the lid is open, you may receive so much that you begin to overflow!
That is a picture of what God desires for us. He does not want us to close our hearts. He wants our hearts to be fully open so that he can pour himself into us to the point we begin to overflow with joy, peace, and hope in a way that others are blessed by what spills over and out!
This is, in fact, one secret to a life of true hope. If you lack hope, open your heart to God. Begin to receive what he provides and share what he gives with others. As he pours into us, we can pour into others.
Moreover, as we pour into others, God continues to pour into us! Serving others may be the last thing we feel like doing, but it is the place and posture where God provides new hope to us. Isaiah 58:9-11 puts it this way, "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
Do you lack hope today? Perhaps it is because you are fixated on yourself. Get the focus off yourself by focusing on someone else's needs. Begin to serve them. Provide hope to another person. Paradoxically, in the process of serving others, we will find new freedom and new hope rising! This is the mystery of the kingdom of God that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive, and in giving, we receive more than we can give! Jesus said in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Being generous applies to more than giving financially. Generosity applies to any form of giving. If we give hope to others, we receive hope. If we encourage, we are encouraged. If we look to other's interests, God takes care of our needs. If we are a friend to others, we will obtain many friends.
Years ago, I decided I would stop feeling sorry for myself and start serving others in the ways I was desiring. For example, if I wished someone would encourage me, I decided to seek out someone I could encourage. As I got the focus off myself, I was less bitter with others and felt less helpless in my circumstances. Further, I found joy and meaning in serving others and becoming more sensitive to the needs of people. I believe God wants to free us from ourselves by getting the focus off ourselves!
This applies to hope. When we feel hopeless, we are often only focused on our situations, needs, desires, and circumstances. We get trapped inwardly. However, by focusing on others outside of ourselves, God can deliver us from ourselves. He can pour into us as we lift the lid, open ourselves up, and pour into others.
If you need your hope renewed today, I want to pray for you a prayer the apostle Paul prayed over the Ephesian believers in Ephesians 1:18. And I also pray that the hope God provides that is found in Jesus Christ will indeed be an anchor for your soul and joy to your heart.
Here is the prayer: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."
