Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. | Romans 12:12
One of the things that we saw Job dealing with, as he mourns, is hopelessness. After losing everything, he finds himself in a place where he is having a hard time finding a reason to go on. This feeling of hopelessness leaves Job feeling trapped, entirely at the mercy of his situation. As he pleads to God, he does not merely ask for reprieve from the pain, but for a greater purpose that can make sense of it. Job needs hope.
So does everyone else. God created in us a need to look beyond ourselves and our situation to something bigger. This is why human beings want so badly to be part of a movement, a member of a group, and to leave a legacy; they want something more than the temporary. There is a desire for something more than what passes as the American Dream.
The Good News of the gospel is that we are gifted hope. In being unified with God, we become a part of His family; His story becomes ours. God’s story is about how He is working all things together toward a glorious and perfect end. Our hope is in His work to bring this about.
If I am honest, I hit a point this week of desperation. Not the hopelessness that Job is feeling, but a point at which all of the worries and burdens and injustice all felt heavy. I am not an empath, or someone who feels every bit of every stress. I am more of a crammer; I push all of the stress down. Watching friends with struggling businesses, and videos of racial brutality, and people struggling with the emotional side of quarantine, and people who are sick and worried about how this virus is affecting them, it just feels like too much. Doesn’t it? All of these issues seem bigger than me.
This is where hope is so necessary; our hope is in the fact that something greater exists. As I have been visiting with families, one of the reminders I have been repeating (to myself as much as to anyone else) is that focusing on our graces rather than our griefs helps us to find: a peace that passes all understanding. This peace is not ours because our situations, all of a sudden, get better. This peace is based in the fact that dwelling on grace encourages us to be engaged with the eternal story that we are part of.
This isn’t just for us. Learning to live in this peace gives opportunities to share the source of our hope. As we ‘suffer well’ our otherness is distinct and people will inquire as to why we do not react and respond like everyone else. 1 Peter 3 tells us how to respond:
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (14-15)
The hope that we have been given is not only the strength by which we are strengthened, but it is to share. Hopelessness is all around us. The feeling that nothing will ever change and nothing will ever get better is prevalent. How blessed we are, to not only have a greater story, but to have something to offer in the face of overwhelming circumstances.
I have had many conversations with people in desperate situations, and one of the common themes is that hope is lost. Spending every day wondering what you will eat, where you will sleep, and how you will keep yourself safe, has left many of the impoverished with a diminished hope. They no longer even think about the broader possibilities or a larger story. It is always wonderful to see their eyes light up as we talk about hope and dreams and the possibility of things beyond where they are.
We are all impoverished. We live in a world that has forgotten how to look beyond itself. God has placed His ambassadors all over this planet to remind people that they were made for more. In times of panic and stress, don’t be part of the wave of fear and anger that stirs up hopelessness. Be hope.