The Vivacity of Hope

The heart of it is this: to make the Lord and his immense love for you constitutive of your personal worth. Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. God’s love for you and his choice of you constitute your worth. Accept that, and let it become the most important thing in your life. – John Eagan

Difficult times are all around us. The 21st-century world shows us calamity and conflict, battles of words and perspectives, injustice and scarcity, and disease and distress. Whether directly in our own experience, through a friend or relative, or in the anxiety of change, the existence of turmoil in the world today has affected our lives. We are in the middle of the turbulence of societal changes and the testing of resilience in the essence of what we depend on.

Theories and hearsay are flying about: From the pages of the newspaper to the editorialized reports of the media, fear is being used to beat down the peace of mind in society. Real suffering is often hidden behind the emotionalized propaganda of a particular agenda. The West has become a battle of words and ideals. Armchair generals offer click-bait-worthy solutions. News cycles hypothesize political upheaval, scripted opinions of political opposition, and little to no accountability for partisan spin. For many, the word hope is less of a reality and little more than a marketing tool. And yet, hope is a pivotal currency in the culture of helping people feel sustained through difficult times.

Over the last 30 years, hope has transformed into something less than transcendent. A rise in anxiety, depression, personal confusion (and truths), and a lack of confidence in leaders has marked a wide variety of experiences. When we look at the real problems facing the world, many narrow their perspective to an area of impact that focuses on their purpose. This has been the mainstay of an “awareness” type of effort that has been ubiquitous lately. And yet, we give an abundance of time, energy, and resources to things that rarely solve problems and, quite often, transform hope into a sense of self-satisfaction.

One of the main complications with this is the self-centric ideals that cover the culture. Our hope is often not in something higher than our ability. We all know people (or are them sometimes) who feel that things will not be done to our standards if we don’t handle all the details ourselves. We prefer manifesting our own power, pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and ensuring our ideas’ influence is paramount. Unfortunately, when we come to the end of ourselves, we are frustrated, depressed, isolated, and alone. The echoes of anxiety begin to come to fruition.

The reality of hope is that it cannot be self-realized. We cannot muster enough influence to produce hope. Genuine hope can only come from a source above our capacity to provide. Reliable hope requires someone else to sacrifice to offer hope to others. At a base level, most people know this, as we often hope in a political leader, a hero of some kind, a utopian construct, or an ideological perspective that can come through. And yet, our culture has an illusion of self-provided hope based on influence, acquisition, and accolade.

But there is hope. There is a vitality, viability, and a vivacity of hope.

That source of hope is only in one place. Rather than create our own icon or idol of hope, the Bible calls us to a different place of hope: “…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” In a world of difficulties and death, the One True God is the only place to put our hope in. In His Word, Jesus promises that troubles are a part of the world but that we should have confidence in Him because He has overcome it. No human can manifest that hope on their own.

The sovereign God is worthy of our hope. The Lord, in his omnipotent love, cares for his own. Is this something we truly believe? Do we comprehend our value to Him? He is faithful. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. He is worthy of our hope.

The Lord understands the needs of his creation. The Bible says that He has numbered the hairs of our heads. How trivial would that information be if He didn’t also intimately know the needs of our hearts or the best for our lives? This is the Lord who is worthy of hope. The same Father who sent His Son to reconcile humankind to Himself. The scripture teaches us that He uses all things to work together for the good of His purpose. This is who we place our hope in: The One who is higher than we are and, in His sacrifice, provided us a hope that transcends the death and destruction in this world.

He works through billions of details to accomplish His will. The Almighty navigates human decisions, evil, mistakes, intentions, relationships, fallout, temptation, war, disease, crime, and a myriad of other things in our world to bring about the redemption and salvation of His people. He works in their daily lives to provide. He works through His Spirit in their heart to calm their fears and fill them with hope. We are told to cast our cares upon Him because His care for us is immense. He knows every sparrow’s fall and that we are infinitely more important to Him than the birds.

This is the Lord we put our hope in. The Lord was so concerned with humanity and their needs that he sent his Son on their behalf so they might have access to God’s goodness forever. And in this, He offers us peace that transcends understanding. It is clear that two things escape the masses in our world: peace and hope. But those are the marks of a life lived in His care. This faithful God produces faithful people who have security, peace, and hope in Him, no matter what storms rage in our world.

One of our most difficult battles in the middle of trials is the mindset of hope and the timing of His provision. But this is where His Word speaks to us, His community supports us, and His Spirit comforts us in prayer. Our reliance on Him is an essential part of our relationship with God.

Dependence on the Lord is an innate facet of being near to Him. As we draw nearer to Him, we experience the provision of His peace, even when we do not understand. We often see in hindsight that His timing is perfect. The reality of difficult situations is that His timing may not always feel so providential, but He is working together through it all to use us to accomplish His purpose. To that end, we can have hope in what He is doing, even if we don’t understand.

The life of Joseph is a perfect example of this as we see him thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, thrown into jail, and exalted to run a country in time to save a people from a famine. God used his life to help others and bring him to places where He could use Joseph’s hands to touch others. Not to infer that Joseph understood the purpose of his life while living through it, but his life was marked with the hope of the Lord caring for and providing for him. From the pit to Potiphar’s house, from being thrown in jail to managing the running of it, or from being hated by his brothers to their love at his forgiveness and graciousness despite their actions: The timing of the Lord to accomplish significant things in Joseph’s life was perfect. God prepared Joseph for precisely what He wanted him to do, and ultimately, as a pivotal part of His larger plan for His people.

God’s timing and provision are worthy of hope. He is never late, nor is he early. He is not providing a series of hoops to jump through so we can finally enjoy his blessing. His sovereignty is larger than that. He is working all things together for the good of His purpose. This is why we are called to seek Him. How can we see His hand at work if we are focused on a self-centric perception of life? The Lord who carried Joseph through great things for His sake is the same God who loves us and longs for us to know the perfect timing of His plan for us.

Our hope has been made secure through His sacrifice. His faithfulness is the dependable provision in which we anchor our confidence. His love for us is abundant and steadfast. Joseph rested in his knowledge of the love and care for him by the Father. We should emulate Joseph in this and respond with hope in Him who does not change. The sustenance of our lives is held in Him who loves us; He who did not reserve his Son as a sacrifice for our reunion with his heart.

The God who longs you to feel the pleasure of his purpose bids us to leave the disbelief and discouragement of the perils of this world and live in the hope that comes from His sustaining provision. If we are to experience His peace, we can no longer lean on our own understanding or live the life of one whose experience in this world is centered on their self. Let us live in this hope. Let us hope in His provision for our needs. Let it become an essential part of who you are and inspire your heart as you live in the grace of the Lord of Lords. This world will have trouble, but we can have hope in the Almighty, who has overcome it. If you are looking for that hope and have never found it, click here to learn more.