Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:23

For several years after I became seriously ill, I didn’t plan any events in my life.  I had no confidence that I would be around for the long haul, therefore, planning was out of the question.  The problem was a lack of hope.  While I still had the hope of eternity, I had no hope that God would sustain my body or that I could endure.  Eventually, that lack of hope made my soul sick.  Thankfully, God sustained me and slowly began to educate me on the finer points of living well before Him.  One of those lessons was that there seem to be two kinds of hope: jubilant hope and steadfast hope.  While I had witnessed plenty of examples of jubilant hope e.g. the hope that comes with: salvation, marriage, or a healthy newborn child, and the like, I had no living images of steadfast hope to lean on.  The culture in which I was raised didn’t deal kindly with people who openly discussed their problems and therefore, was devoid of discussions regarding God’s use of trials to mold, shape and equip them.  In that light, let’s consider a few images of steadfast hope, specifically hope that is: teachable, observant, patient, resilient, faithful trusting that God is enough.

Teachable

“Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.  You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes.”  Psalm 119:66-68

While God uses affliction in many forms to uniquely refine, equip and correct us, culture teaches us that trials are uncomfortable and, therefore, unwanted and cruel.  However, scripture teaches us that we are to be joyful in all circumstances as they are God’s will for us, produce endurance, and refine our character. Further as we persevere, not only are we refined, but our hope becomes hope that does not disappoint because we recognize the love that God has for us as He sustains us in all of our circumstances of life.  When we yield to God’s work in us by having a teachable spirit, we open ourselves to greater refinement and have a more peaceful existence than when we stubbornly resist His redeeming work in our souls, minds and bodies.

Observant

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”  Micah 7:7

One blessing of God’s instruction through my trials is that I am learning to watch for God at work in my life and the lives of others.  Too often I have prayed expecting God to work in ways that my finite mind found reasonable forgetting that God is infinitely more creative, wise and capable.  I find that He is often quite subtle and goes beyond what I could have imagined.  The key is that I must watch Him to work with expectation…not only for the concerns that I have brought before Him, but also in ways and addressing issues that were beyond my consideration.  When our hope is not only teachable but also observant, we see God at work in ways that we would have missed otherwise.  This not only encourages our faith, but further strengthens our hope.

Patient

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”  Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)

Not only does our hope need to be observant, but also patient.  Daniel had to wait all night to get out of the lion’s den.  Joseph waited many years before the time was right for God to elevate him from slavery.  Christ’s incarnation was promised in the Garden of Eden, but didn’t come for thousands of years.  His return is promised, but it has been over 2000 years since He was resurrected.  Sometimes God fulfills our prayers or addresses our needs quickly.  At times, as in the case of Lazarus, He delays to reveal His power in a greater way.  Just as we wait patiently and prayerfully for our Lord’s return, so too we must wait patiently and prayerfully for Him to address our concerns or relieve our afflictions.

Resilient

“Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”  Psalm 42:11

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Isaiah 40:31

I employ these two passages a great deal when I am discouraged, overwhelmed, or exhausted.  They remind me that no matter how dark things get, the situation is temporary; God is in control, sustains me and will revive me; and that I will once again be filled with praise.  While praise comes naturally when things “return to normal”, I find that it regularly arrives in the darkness and lifts my soul out of the mire of doubt and frustration.  As I look to God to renew my heart, mind and soul, I am reminded to keep my hope firmly resting in Him.  Often His promises are all the assurance I have; always they are all I need to revive me.

Faithful

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”  1 Peter 3:15

As faithful servants of God, we don’t keep our hope to ourselves, but reveal to others.  In so doing, we proclaim Christ as Lord over all (including our circumstances), encourage others, reaffirm our own hope and glorify our Father in Heaven.  As this becomes our habit, we can testify that this hope we have is an anchor our souls, a hope that is both sure and steadfast. (Hebrews 6:19)

God is Enough

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Psalm 73:26

This is my life verse and another that I employ to remind me where my hope resides.  It is both a truthful comfort and a significant challenge.  It comforts me as I am reminded that God is the one who strengthens, sustains, provides for and redeems us.  The challenge is an honest evaluation of whether or not God is enough.  Food, clothing, shelter, loved ones to comfort us, medical treatments to cure or at least minimize symptoms, money, etc. may be helpful to some degree, but do we find God to be enough without those things?  If we have studied scripture at all, we know that God is our portion…all that is required.  However, do we live it?  Is it evident to others as we struggle before them?  Do we find ourselves begging more for relief from our struggles than we do to have more of or from God?  Hence the challenge, but it is a defining one that is the bedrock of hope.

Steadfast to Jubilant

When our hope is teachable, observant, patient, resilient, and faithful relying on God to be enough, we are open to God’s work in our lives and truly exhibit steadfast hope.  As we experience trials with these attributes having our hope anchored in our faith in God, our hope matures and it is no longer merely steadfast but it also becomes jubilant as is we see the benefit of each trying experience and how it provides greater confidence in the promises of God both this life as well as the next.  It gives us the ability to not only to endure but to be joyful no matter what comes as we trust God to be at work in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Personally Speaking

I have never had a solid diagnosis for my symptoms.  The only consensus is that they are likely secondary to some greater problem.   That said, the principal working diagnosis has been changed but not confirmed.  I am a bit frustrated as it appears that it will take some time to see a specialist who can confirm or reject this notion.  Despite the flaring of symptoms and emotions, I can honestly say that I am more at peace than I would have been all those years ago when our lives were turned on end by my health concerns as I have had 27 years to experience God’s hand at work sustaining and refining me.  I have also learned that I am not alone.  Further, I am greatly encouraged by those who hold fast the confession of their hope without wavering, trusting that He who promised is faithful.  They are the ones who quietly put their hope in God as they:

• Care for a terminally ill loved one
• Grieve the untimely loss of someone that they loved dearly
• Face multiple challenges in life with grace
• Pace the halls of the hospital as they await the outcome of yet another medical procedure for themselves or another
• Rise to attend a social function with their spouse in spite of their infirmities
• Encourage others despite dealing with their own trials or tragedies
• Seek to serve in whatever capacity they are able no matter how limiting their circumstances may be

These are the living images of hope before me.  While they may be tossed around by the trials that come their way experiencing emotional or spiritual lapses, their faith and hope are firmly anchored in God alone.   Living out our hope in adversity is yet another way that the body of Christ is strengthened.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Will

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