Interestingly enough my blog is called “Hope Calls” yet I can’t remember if I’ve even blogged about ‘hope’. And what is hope exactly? “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”(Heb 11:1). Hope is having faith and faith is having hope. As faith is not a feeling- neither is hope. It is a choice. It is believing in the promises of Christ Jesus.
The past few days my heart has been very heavy hearted for many people. I have been praying consistently for them. And it’s one of those things that you seem to be pressing in yet only hearing more negative things and hurts that just seem to flow faster than a raging river. It can be almost suffocating in the heart sometimes. Sharing a little with a friend, it made me realize that it was affecting my own hope let alone those who are hurting so deeply and their hopes.
There are many scriptures on hope in the bible. The psalms are filled with cries, prayers and songs for God’s hope. Really, both the Old and New Testament are filled with hope. But for a moment, I want to touch on “hurting hopes”. Several people that I know are going through some pretty tough trials and sometimes those trials are filled with so much hurt that no matter which way you turn there doesn’t seem to be any hope. None. And we all need hope. If just a crumb.
A verse that is highlighted, circled and marked in my bibe is “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.” (Ps 16:9). I’ve always read this verse as “my flesh (my heart) rests in hope. That always brought me some comfort. It’s our hearts that keeps us going both in the flesh and in the spirit. Our hearts are home for many things. Be it words, memories, actions etc. Our hearts are the well spring of life (Prov 4). I view our hearts as the home of our emotions and our emotions need something to hang on to and that something- is hope. But even in that our hope needs an identity. The Apostle Paul opened a letter to Timothy writing that “our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, (is) our hope.” (1Tim1:1). Selah.
Christ Jesus is our hope. And hope does not let us down. Romans 5:5 says “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” If we are told that hope does not disappoint and we know Who our hope is, then we need not get so burdened down that we leave the presence of the Lords peace. Another Selah moment.
We’re commanded to carry each other burdens “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2), but I don’t believe we are to carry them to where we are starting to “get down” ourselves and loose our own hope. Especially in Him. We need to be very careful and we need to make absolutely sure we are leaning on the Lord even more so in these times.
We pray and hope in the Lord for those we are lifting up as well as ourselves and we do it continually. “But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.”(Ps 71:14)
Jesus is our hope. And Jesus is calling us.
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