Hope

I wondered if Hope is an emotion. Is it something like happiness, sadness, joy or sorrow? Some scholars write that it is an emotion, and others indicate it is a by-product of other mindsets. For example, the higher we trust, the greater the Hope. The stronger the relationship, the greater we hope.

I think about the Israelites who waited and hoped for a saviour. They trusted the God of their ancestors for a king. They waited and hoped for years and years. They had great Hope that this King would save them, and they lived and raised their families, trusting in that promise.

However, their trust, though well-placed, did not match what they wanted and expected. What arrived did not look like what they were hoping for.

Jesus, the saviour, arrives humbly as a baby. He was born in a barn, not in a palace. He arrived in an unimpressive village, not in a magnificent city. He grew up in a carpenter's home, not in a family of royalty. Despite many prophecies that could have given them clues as to how their saviour would arrive, they still wondered, how could this be their King? This is not what they hoped for.

We trust the scriptures and hang on to the teachings of Jesus Christ. We learn from the Old Testament fathers, the disciples, who are witnesses to the words and actions of Jesus Christ, and we know He is our Saviour. Our Hope is in Him. We trust the Word of God. Through the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have a relationship with Him—with God the Creator. We have Hope in the promises of God. We have Hope in His return. How often are we like the Israelites of Jesus' time, where we have missed an opportunity because what God provided was not what we expected? Hope aligns with trust and knowing the greater story of our time.

Hope gives us peace in difficult times, in suffering and in pain we know that He sustains us—that this world is not our only dwelling place. We have a hope in our future, in Christ's return. Our current circumstances may not be giving us joy; we may find ourselves in troubled times, and fear or worry tends to sit at the edges of our thoughts. However, I find the words found in Romans 12 very comforting as they describe love in action as we wait for His return. Specifically, Romans 12:12(NIV) sums it up by saying:

"Be joyful in Hope, 

patient in affliction, 

faithful in prayer."

As Christ followers, living in Hope allows us to look past our current situation and see that Jesus Christ changed everything for this world—and for each one of us. May each one of us find ways to share that Hope with others! Your love in action (read Romans 12) may be the very Hope someone else is waiting for this week.

Written by:

Lorraine Kehler