"This Won’t Last Forever"
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My wife was in labor with our son (without an epidural) for 32 hours. In the middle of the night, after about 24 hours of labor, she began to insist that he would never come out. Logically, she knew better, but in her exhaustion, she started to lose hope. "No," a nurse reassured her, "this won't last forever. He will come out!" She pushed through, and at 10:40 AM the following day, she happily held our boy.
We're Cross Training to develop our joy, one of twelve marks of the Master we're working on this year. Joy comes when we receive the gospel, build our hope, respond with thanksgiving, and evangelize to others. So how do we hold onto hope when weariness threatens our joy?
What You Need to Know
In modern use, "hope" often describes a wish that might not come true. "Maybe my team will win it all this year — I hope so!" But a Christian has a "living hope" based on an existing reality, "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). When we realize that death had no power over Jesus (1 Cor. 15:20), we see it has no control over those who follow him (1 Cor. 15:52-57). God has prepared an inheritance for his heirs (Rom. 8:17,23; Gal. 4:4-7), a home where the river of life flows (Rev. 22:1), where "the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever" (Rev. 22:5).
We "hope in the Lord" (Psalm 131:3). More than all the magnificent outcomes he's promised, we happily wait on HIM with unembarrassed (Psalm 119:16; Rom. 5:5), unqualified certainty that whatever the "God of hope" does (Rom. 15:13), it will be good (Psalm 145:17; James 1:17). Because of his character, we trust his judgments (Psalm 36:6; Rom. 2:6-11). And because of his promises, we "know" we "have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
Hopelessness says, "What's the point? Things'll never get better" (cf. Prov. 13:12). But light breaks into ever our bleakest days when we believe we have something spectacular ahead. So, "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing" even our problems can serve God's purposes as we prepare for that day (Rom. 5:2-5).
What You Need to Do
Reframe your difficulties, disappointments, and discouragements in the light of hope. When you start considering your situation hopeless, re-consider! "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom. 8:18). When Jeremiah couldn't escape his affliction (Lam. 3:19-20), he said, "this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases" (Lam. 3:21-22). Since God's mercies never run dry but "are new every morning ... therefore I will hope in him" (Lam. 3:23-24). So we "wait for him" without complaining (Lam. 3:25-26; Phil. 2:14), looking ahead to mercies not yet seen (Rom. 8:24-25).
Live with boldness (2 Cor. 3:12) and confidence in Christ (2 Cor. 3:4). Hope links the present and future, looking through the lens of faith in God. Paul's letter to the Philippians exemplifies hope-filled living, from his conviction that "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion" (Phil. 1:6) to his confidence that "my God will supply every need" (Phil. 4:19). In between, Paul rejoices in what God will accomplish in his imprisonment (Phil. 1:12-26) and strains forward to higher ground as he longs for the day of his resurrection (Phil. 3:8-21).
Practice deliberate daydreaming about heaven. Since we already belong to that new, glorious day, we constantly carry our hope with us, aiming not to drift far from heavenly thoughts. Ask yourself, "What will it be like to see Jesus? Won't it be great to leave these headaches behind?" Talk about it. Sing about it. "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:2-4).
Through the Week
- Read (Mon) — John 11:17-44; Rom. 8:16-39; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 John 3:1-3; Rev. 21:1-5
- Reflect (Tue) — Do I live like this world is not my home?
- Request (Wed) — "Oh God of hope, fill me with joy, peace, and boundless hope" (cf. Rom. 15:13).
- Respond (Thu) — Sing a song of hope throughout the day.
- Reach Out (Fri) — What parts of this life are you excited to leave behind?
