I’ve often thought that the most ambiguous thing Christ offers us is hope. I’m just being honest. In fact, I’m probably putting in writing what many people think but would never say. It feels wrong to unwrap one of God’s gifts to us, look at it, and set it aside with only a “gee, thanks…I don’t know when I’ll be able to use that and I’m not even quite sure what it is, but it’s awfully pretty…thanks.”
And yet, that’s how I’ve often felt about hope. “It’s pretty and shiny and lovely,… but what is it exactly?”
I’m in the process of doing a lot of study about hope in preparation for a new book. And as I’ve read the Scriptures that ring with hope, I’ve fallen in love with that word. Turns out hope is not nearly as trivial or sentimental a gift as I thought it was. In fact, it’s just as necessary to godly living as it’s counterparts–faith and love.
Hope isn’t just the good feeling that accompanies the more substantial necessities of our Christian walk; it’s more like the cane we must often lean on as we traverse a particularly difficult or daunting part of the path. It’s that which makes it possible to even move forward. Sure, truth shines it’s light on the path ahead, but hope sets us on our feet so we can walk forward in that light.
Think you don’t need hope? Still think it’s just one of those little extras that sounds nice but isn’t really necessary? Think again.
Consider this passage from the depths of Jeremiah:
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