What Makes Hope Less and Hopeful

Pastor John’s message yesterday (29 June 2014) on “Building Blocks – Hope” made me reflect on my hope experiences.

Apart from asking myself how I may be able to share or give hope to others, I also contemplated the quality of hope I can provide.

His challenge: Who can give true hope in a world with many unfulfilled promises? God is building something in us, and the capacity to live and communicate hope is one of the building blocks.

My hope experiences have taught me that it’s only when I put my total and absolute trust in what God can do that I can hope entirely in God.

I have learned that to experience real hope, I must “let go 100% and let God 100%.”

What makes hope less is the human element portion that we put in.

On the one hand, I contemplated that any iota of hope I placed on my capabilities also, on the other hand, became my germ of doubt about God’s power.

This “doubt germ”, if always present in situations that demand my fervent hope in God, quickly germinates, invading the Godly element and resulting in hopelessness.

Thus, the hopeless situation was settled more on my effort than God Almighty’s power.

Looking back at the many hopeless instances I went through. I felt hopeless and desperate when I focused more on what I could do, cracking my brain trying to sort out possible solutions, not what the Lord God had planned for me.

However, my hope arises when I let go and put my hands up in total surrender, accepting my incapability and focusing intently on what God can do, anticipating the solution He already had for me.

Then peace governs my body and spirit because my hope is God and Him alone.

Psalm 55:22-23 gives us a calming assurance.

²² Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.
²³ But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
    will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.

Friends, may this short reflection inspire you to evaluate your hope experiences.

May our hope grow more and more as we build it on nothing less than Jesus Christ.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ross Waugh