Finding You AgainExemplo

What is hope? What do you think of when you hear the word? What are the thoughts that it conjures up? 

Maybe you think of the young mother who has an infant growing in her womb and the hope of the future. Maybe you think of a hard-working coworkers who is hoping for that promotion. Perhaps hope is the expectation of growth, when a new flower bed is planted, or the hope of losing weight after diligently exercising for weeks on end. We hope for lots of things.

We say things, such as “I hope you have a good day. I hope my team wins the game. I hope it doesn’t rain today.” But those “hopes” aren’t the Christian’s definition of hope. Those things are more like wishful thinking. Hope isn’t a feeling, an emotion, or an unmet dream. No, biblical hope is so much more than that!

For Christians, our hope isn’t about wishing things would turn out a certain way. Hope is certainty. Our hope, as believers, is in the word of God. It is solid. It is unwavering. We can stand on our hope, because it is rooted in Christ. God does not lie, and we can stand on his promises of hope for our lives. We have a hope that is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). It is like faith…a faith that cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see because an unseen God is seen in His faithfulness.

Circumstances change. Life gets hard. The challenges of this world are inevitable. 

And if you are anything like me, you’ve been huddled on your bathroom floor or bedroom floor somewhere crying out to God, because the weight of this world can be almost unbearable at times. I’ve sometimes wondered how I could have hope, when my world was crushed and the future seemed bleak and I had no money and no friends. That can be a dark time.

Consider Paul for this a minute. Paul was pressed from every side. Paul was traveling about the earth, bringing the good news of Christ. He was in full-time ministry! He had committed his life to the cause of Christ and withstood unbelievable hardships because of it. He was beaten and lied about, imprisoned, falsely accused, hungry, homeless, and more. Just read 2 Corinthians 6:4-5, then v. 8-10. Paul was exhausted and pressed and obstacles were everywhere. Can you relate?

Some of you have been pressed from every side. Your pressing may look different from Paul’s pressing, but you have been pressed nonetheless. You are weary, worn out, over-worked, and wondering if God even sees you. You are wondering why you’ve had to endure this disappointment or why this trial has lasted so long. That was Paul. And yet, somehow, he found a way to have joy in all seasons, to be content where he was. His hope came from Christ and so does ours. We can have hope, because we are saved. We can have hope, because no matter how bad life may get, we know that we serve the one who holds our eternity. This life is temporary. And joy will come in the morning, friends!

Has God ever seen you through a really difficult time? Have there been times in your life, when it seemed you would not get out of the mess you were in? Have you witnessed miracles in your life? That’s great news! Because the God who got you through that previous thing is going to get you through this one! It may take longer than you want it to or may look different than you thought it would, but He will rescue you. What better place to find hope!

Sometimes, when we are in the middle of the wilderness, in the middle of testing, we can’t hear God. Psalm 42:1-2 puts it like this, “As the deer longs for the streams of water, so I long for you. O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” That makes it really hard to hope! It makes it hard, when we feel that God doesn’t hear us, or maybe we are praying and can’t seem to hear from him. 

But here’s what we need to remember about finding hope in the struggle:

1. There is power in Scripture. Hope is found there. Read Luke 4:1-13. What did Jesus do every time he was tested? He quoted Scripture. There is power in knowing what God’s word says about us. It is our truth, our strength, and our steady reminder, when things seem hopeless or life gets hard. We must be in the Word to know what power you have. Hosea 4:6 says my people perish for lack of knowledge. We often don’t walk in all the power we have been given, because we don’t even know we have it! When you are in the middle of testing, in the wilderness, in the hardship, we can stand strong on what the word of God says – that is eternal hope. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. He holds you up with his victorious right hand. And that is true hope!
2. You must learn to be a “driver” in the wilderness. Wilderness is uncertain. We often wander around, waiting on the next thing, praying God will help us. But we have to be active participants in our wilderness season. We have to be actively seeking the face of God. There’s a big difference between being a driver and being a passenger. Passengers in a car can be completely disengaged. Passengers don’t have to be aware of where they are going. They don’t have to know the right turns to make. They don’t have to be safe and wise. Drivers must be keen-fully aware of their surroundings. A good driver takes responsibility for the car they drive. Drivers don’t whine. They don’t place blame. They don’t ask why. They just drive and follow the directions provided by the map. That should be us! We need to take responsibility for our lives, our children, our situations and then use the map God provides (His word and Spirit) to lead us along the path. We can’t just sit idly by. We must be active participants in the process.
3. Rest. The hardest thing for most of us to do is just rest. We are moms. We are balancing car pool and two jobs and homework and chores and to-do lists that are far too long. Resting seems almost absurd. And yet, where there is rest, there is peace. There is calm. There is hope. Take some time to replenish. Take the time to assess what you’re learning during this season. Take some time to just lie down on your bed with nothing to do and soak in God’s presence. Take the time to rest in Christ’s eternal peace.

One of the fruits of the spirit is hope. Hope was given when you accepted Christ as your Savior. You are NOT desperate. Desperation leads to poor choices. Desperation leads to panic and worry and anxiety. Desperation comes when there is no hope. You are not desperate for a future husband or the perfect job. You are confidently and patiently waiting, because you rest in hope, faith, and love.

Some of you have experienced a temporary set-back. It could’ve come in the form of abuse or divorce or an unwed pregnancy, or death. But for whatever reason, you’ve had a set-back. Know that God has given you every tool you need to survive the set-back. And because you can confidently know that, there is hope.

Points to Ponder:

• What is the thing you are hoping for in your life today?
• What future do you hope for your children?
• Describe the difference between the hope the world gives and the hope offered through Christ.
• Why can you confidently hope, even in the midst of difficult circumstances?
• Describe a time when God did a miracle in your life.
• List helpful Scriptures that reference hope.
• Write a prayer to God about why you may have struggled in the past to have hope and how that will change going forward.