Springing Forward In Hope

Spring break in Michigan offers none of the assurances one might normally associate with this yearly right of passage. We have little expectation of sunny skies and warmer temperatures – a new seasonal pedicure is lost on all but the brave. And, our coastal waters, are only appropriate for those looking to participate in a late spring polar plunge. Indeed, tomorrow’s high is only expected to be in the low to mid 40s and yesterday I watched the snow fall. Again. It is what I have come to know and expect of my great Mitten state. But today, is different. Today, this second day of April, I am springing forward in hope.

 

What is there to be hopeful for?

Hope for many people is often seen as a feeling of expectation (or desire) for a certain thing to happen. Hope for the Christ follower is that and then some.

Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future

— it expects it to happen.

Pastor and Teacher, John Piper

But what if there doesn’t appear to be anything to be hopeful for? Is that possible? What if the very worst has happened and you have no expectation of anything to be good?

Being a Christ follower means knowing who my hope is in. It doesn't mean I'll never lose hope. #SpringingIntoHope #SundayIsComing Click To Tweet

Friend, our hope is neither defined nor bound by our circumstances. Our hope, our ability to seek and desire it, is just as burdened by the sin and brokenness of this world as anything else. You are not the first person to struggle with losing hope.

Our hope will fade if we don’t feed it.

It will falter if we don’t protect it.

And it will weaken if we don’t share it.

Hope is not a trinket or expensive vase to be stored on a shelf and admired from afar. Our hope should be like a favorite sweatshirt; weathered and soft, but proven resilient, and a true fit for our spiritual self. Hope is what helps us get out of bed when all feels lost; it is the force that helps us to move forward when we cannot see a way.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭

Hope is the voice of the Holy Spirit whispering 'God is not done with you yet'. #SpringingIntoHope Click To Tweet

Unconvinced?

Our hope is central to our walk with Jesus and life on this earth. If you think life is hard now, imagine one without hope?

3 Reasons To Be Springing Forward In Hope

1. Hope in the sovereignty of God means I know that I don’t have to be in control. Even if I like to be large and in-charge, I know that I don’t have to be. I know that God is all knowing and that His decisions are based on a greater wisdom and knowledge than I could ever possess.I know that my God is Sovereign and reigns supreme. I know that He has already won the greatest battle and that my future with Him is secure. That’s a hope worth springing into.
2. Hope in the love of God means that even on the days where I feel completely unloveable, I know that His love for me is so great that Jesus died on the cross because of it. This kind of hope reminds me (when the world is beating me down) of who and whose I am. Nothing I, or anyone else, can do will ever change that. No matter what the scale, mirror, your friend, frenemy, spouse or boss says, you are loved by an overwhelming and jealous God. That is something to be hopeful about.
3. Hope in the grace of God means knowing that there is nothing you can do that cannot be forgiving. Hope in the grace of God is what helps you put one foot in front of the next after a long series of bad decisions. This hope is what will sustain you when everyone else has turned their backs. It is the kind of hope that reminds you that you are not alone.

Are you feeling hopeless today? If so, I pray that the Lord would increase your faith and trust in Him. I pray that He would cause your hope to blossom and grow. And, I pray that He would guide you to cultivate and mature your hope to be shared with others.