We Need a Better Hope
When I began writing this, it was another rainy day with no hope of sunshine, and I had a bad case of the doldrums. When I feel that way, I can easily go to despair and find myself losing hope. When that happens, I have to ask myself what I’m putting my hope in. Am I hoping that the sun will come back out soon or that this quarantine won’t last much longer and that will make me feel better? Sure I am–and it’s okay to hope for those things–but ultimately I need to find a better hope. I need a lasting hope, a hope that speaks to the pain in my heart. I need to remind myself of the hope that isn’t wishful thinking. I need to preach the gospel to myself and find the hope that the Word of God promises to those who’ve placed their faith in Him.
Fortunately, on that day I came across an article by Christine Hoover (one of my favorite authors) entitled Every Hard Day Will Be Beautiful Someday. It was written almost two years ago but it spoke so poignantly to my need to find hope in my current situation. I wonder if you’re looking for the same hope.
In her article, Christine draws a lesson from a box of old photographs that she found in her closet. There is power and value in looking back and remembering what was because it can help inform us as we consider what is to come. We see a similar lesson taken from the Old Testament in God’s requirement that His people “remember” (Deuteronomy 8:2, Isaiah 46:9) along with His message through the prophets to “look forward” (Jeremiah 23:5-6, Acts 3:18-24). In the New Testament, the message remains the same–remember and look forward (1 Corinthians 11:24-28, Philippians 1:6). Remember Christ’s death and all that it accomplished on our behalf, and look forward to His return and the hope of eternity with Christ.
To quote from the article, “Looking back at the past and forward to the future helps us walk by faith in a promise-keeping God in this present darkness… We do not need to see or understand all that God is doing on our hardest days. We just need to know that God is behind this, and in this, and that he will make it beautiful in time.” Looking back at the past and forward to the future builds our faith and helps us put our hope in Him in the present.
One thing I know with certainty is that this pandemic did not catch God by surprise. He’s in the midst of it working “for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). And that brings me hope.
If you’d like to read the article, click here.
If you’re struggling to find hope in all of this, please feel free to reach out to me.
Hoping in Him,
Marsha Mathews
Director of Women’s Ministry