Hope. This word means so many things to so many different people. For some, it’s the idea of something fantastic that they would like, while for others it’s simply the thought of something good. The definition of hope is ‘a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”
We’ve all heard someone say things are hopeless, maybe even especially in these uncertain times. We would all like to hope that things will be looking up by a certain date, maybe a birthday, a wedding, or a trip we’ve been dreaming of, but we are afraid to, feeling it is hopeless as we know there is a good chance that things could still be the same.
How can we hope in a time that feels hopeless? In a time of such great uncertainty? Many have lost their jobs and have no idea when they might work again, or how they will pay their bills. So many are just barely keeping it together, feeling the pain and loneliness of the isolation, not knowing when they will get to see their loved ones again. Though we are so blessed to be able to see people online these days, we all know it’s not the same as laying eyes on our dear friends and family, the freedom to embrace them in a hug. We all long for the freedom to go out and socialize, to do the things we are missing.
And though things may feel bleak and hopeless right now, we have a hope in a brighter tomorrow. We know that these dark days will not continue forever, there is an end. It may not look like we are expecting, it may not end with triumph and celebration, coming in bits and pieces quietly over time, but it is coming.
I wonder if this is how the disciples felt after Jesus’ death, hopeless and desperate? Wondering what was happening, things looking so different from anything they’d expected. They had expected that Jesus would come and conquer, not die a sinners death. Things looked bleak.
But as we know, things did not stop there. Jesus rose from the grave, beating death, overcoming the power of sin. This same Jesus is alive today and is not surprised by the events of the world around us. These days most of our lives are quieter, and he is taking this time to speak to us, gently whispering, inviting us into a whole new experience. He is showing us what we can do without, revealing what is truly important, and refocusing some of our desires.
I am so thankful that the one who is ministering to me, giving me encouragement that this is not the permanent, is one who will never fail. Though he was man, he did not disappoint as man will. Though he was God, he lived as man and fully understands what we are dealing with. My hope is not in the politicians who are trying to decide how we should live right now, nor is it in the virus dying off, petering out. My hope is not in my job or my finances, not in the scientists who are hoping for a vaccine, nor in my friends who may barely be making it themselves. No, my hope is in the one who has conquered even death. In one who is unfailing, consistent and true.
In these days where things feel hopeless we all long to put our hope in something or someone. My hope is in Jesus and his resurrection. What do you put your hope in?