Got Hope?

Where then is my hope? Can anyone find it? Job 17:15 (NLT)

The Associated Press reported last week that the number of suicides last year in the United States reached an all-time high of 49,500 people. While other factors may be involved, hopelessness was undoubtedly a significant factor. Is there anything that we can do to bring hope to the hopeless?

Depression, anxiety, or fear will confront most of us at some point during our lives. The Psalmist faced great despair: From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Psalm 130:1 (NLT) And then again when David was a fugitive from Saul: The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. Psalm 18:4–6 (NLT)

In both experiences, David cried out to the Lord in despair or distress, but what does someone do when they do not know God? David had cultivated a relationship with God throughout his life. He had witnessed God’s faithfulness time and time again, even as a boy tending sheep. Sadly, it is not common to see trust and hope develop before facing a crisis. Relationships make the difference. The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted. Proverbs 10:24 (NLT)

Lament

The Book of Lamentations emerges from one of the dark periods of Israel’s history. Ignoring Jeremiah’s repeated warnings, Israel continued down a path of self-destruction. God pled with them to come back to him. But instead of repentance, they hardened their hearts, leaving Yahweh for other gods.

While remaining faithful to God, Jeremiah endured misery with the rest of his people. Let us listen in as he recounts his woes.

He shot his arrows deep into my heart. My own people laugh at me. All day long they sing their mocking songs. He has filled me with bitterness and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink. He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Lamentations 3:13–20 (NLT)

What can we say? Perhaps you or someone you know has reached the depths of despair like we read in these verses. He says, “Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” This experience will stay with him forever. Everyone seems to be against him. It reminds us of David’s experience: I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Psalm 142:4 (NLT)

Dare to Hope

Just when we think that Jeremiah is about to give up, he remembers something that gives him hope:

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. Lamentations 3:21–26

What does Jeremiah remember? He remembers the continual love and mercy of God. Even though Jeremiah had known this from his youth, grief, and despair overwhelmed his vision of God. Just when he had despaired of life itself, the Holy Spirit brought the goodness of God to his memory.

Jesus foretold that we would have difficult times in this life, even tribulations. The time to meditate and reflect on the goodness and faithfulness of God is before we reach the crisis so that the Holy Spirit can bring things back to our memory. We think of the words of the great hymn, “When darkness hides his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace.” Don’t give up; God will soon stir up your memory of his goodness.

Preparing the Next Generation

So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. Psalm 78:7 (NLT)

It is a tremendous responsibility to pass on to the next generation the hope that we have in God. But certainly, they must make this hope their own. One of the saddest accounts in Scripture is: After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. Judges 2:10 (NLT)

We live in challenging times, but then again, there have been many difficult times throughout history. There are a lot of things that we can do without, but hope is not one of them. People put their hope in many different things, but the only hope that will never disappoint is the hope of salvation (Romans 5:4-5).

At times, it appears as though those in the world have the advantage. They have wealth and fame, but all is not as it appears on the surface. Paul reminded us that before we came to Christ, “we lived in this world without God and without hope.”

We must never misplace our hope. Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed. Proverbs 23:17–18 (NLT). The greatest gift we can give anyone else is the reason for our hope (1 Peter 3:15). We might even go as far as to say that hope can be the catalyst for faith and love.

Steve Ekeroth

 

Photo by Engin Akyurt: