Reflections On HopeHalimbawa

We are certainly living in challenging and interesting times, and it has become obvious that many have lost their spark and joy for living. Because of this, many have no hope and rather than praising and worshipping God through the storm, some have thrown in the towel, given up on hope, and are living in survival mode. Peter knew well enough what it feels like to live through moments of despair and disappointment but, in the end, he discovered the hope that can only be found in Jesus.

In 1 Peter 3:15, He urges us to “Always be ready to give a defence to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance is within you”. What does it mean to be ready to account for the hope? How are we to get ready and stay ready and hopeful?

As I reflected on these questions another text came to my mind, where Jesus says something about readiness for witness. In the last week of his life, Jesus warned His disciples in Luke 21:12 that they will be persecuted by unbelievers. Then He follows up by saying, "This will be a time for you to bear testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate beforehand how to make your case. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. (Luke 21:14-15 (AMP))

So, in summary, this means that the way to get ready to give an account for your hope is to get hopeful. If our own hope does not spring up from something Christ did and said, then it is a mere sham to try to encourage others to hope in Christ. But if we search out the promises of Christ and meditate on his character and work for the sake of banishing our own fear and kindling our own hope in Him, then this very act of reverencing Christ for ourselves will be the best preparation for giving that account for our hope to others.