Hope in Christ
Over the
past few weeks, we have taken the difficult step of facing some of the issues
or behaviors that are negatively impacting our lives. We strived to face them head-on and admit to
ourselves that certain areas of our lives are unmanageable – that we can’t
handle them on our own.
How
important it is at this juncture to be able to see just a little bit into the
future! That is because in the future
there is hope. To face the issues and
realize we cannot handle them is a crucial first step toward resolving
them. But to stay there would be
unbearable. That may be one reason why
some people are so reluctant to face their problems – they have no hope, no
rescuer, no savior. Why face problems
that can never be resolved? If there is
no solution, than staying in denial is not a bad option.
But there
is a solution – in the form of a person.
Last week Lillian said that power – real power to overcome the issues in
our lives – has a name: El Shaddai. And where there is power, there is
possibility for change. And where there
is possibility for change, there is hope.
Indeed, hope also has a name:
Jesus.
Our powerlessness is the genesis
of our hope
Deep down
in our hearts we know that we cannot change on our own. If we could change, we would have done so
already. But acknowledging our
powerlessness is a scary proposition because it prompts the next logical
question: ‘Is there a way for me to
change if I cannot cause that change?’
An answer of ‘no’ to that question causes devastation.
Over a
decade ago, I pondered that question, at least in its essence. The agony of my heart cried out, ‘Help me,
God, if you are there!’ I had accepted
Jesus as my eternity-savior long before that, but I had not allowed him to be
the leader of my life in the here and now.
I cried out to God while I was on a calm and peaceful beach in the
beautiful island
of Aruba. From an on-looker’s perspective my life was
going well. My husband and I had
achieved a level of success at work and our finances reflected that. I was living in a large home with new cars in
the garage and expensive jewelry in my jewelry box. We traveled to far-away places and enjoyed
the varied pleasures of leisure.
Yet
something was missing. No matter how
much I accomplished or what I acquired or experienced, there was a deep
emptiness inside me. On this particular
trip to Aruba – our third visit – I found
myself wandering down to the beach each evening while my husband and friends
were engaged elsewhere. It is my nature
to want some alone-time, so I would excuse myself, walk to the beach, pull a
lounge chair close to the water and listen to the waves coming in. There were so many activities in the evening
that the beach was deserted except for an occasional walker or wondering dog.
Perhaps
it was the sereneness of the scene that highlighted the turmoil in my
soul. The emptiness inside of me bubbled
up and I realized that nothing would bring me joy or contentment. I knew for a fact that nothing would bring me
fulfillment: not another promotion, not
another raise, not a bigger house and not even another vacation. Here I was, in one of the most beautiful
places in the world and I did not have peace.
It was then that I realized that absolutely nothing in this world could
fill me. Since I had experienced new
places numerous times, I knew that if I went to a new destination, the initial
joy would quickly fade. I knew beyond a
shadow of a doubt that emptiness would re-surface, as surely hunger pains
re-surface hours after enjoying a full and satisfying full meal.
That was
my bottom. I realized I was powerless to
create an environment that would bring peace to my soul. I had no hope. And I realized that nothing in this world
could fill me. My reaction to that
realization was to cry out to the only thing outside of this world: God.
With the waves gently lapping the shore, I poured my heart out to
God. I literally cried out for his help,
night after night.
1 Samuel
7:6 speaks of the Israelites pouring out water before the Lord as they fasted
and confessed. They were in a time of
crisis and had turned away from God. They
poured out water to both symbolize and emphasize how they were emptying
themselves and returning to God’s sovereignty.
It symbolizes pouring out your heart in repentance and humility.
A woman
named Hannah is also written of in 1 Samuel.
She is a barren woman who desperately desires a child. In 1 Samuel 1:15, she tells the priest that
she ‘was pouring out my soul to the Lord.”
Psalm 62:8 says “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your
hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Have you poured out the cries of your heart to him? It is when you do, in the humility of knowing
he is able and you are not, that the seed of hope is planted in your heart.
God
answered my cries in the coming months by directing me to Lifecare, where I
began the journey of laying down my will and learning his ways of living. It was at the depth of my mourning that I
obtained hope – the hope that God exists, that I matter to him and that he can
help me.
Hope defined
I now see
that the realization of my powerlessness was the foundation of my hope for
change. I come to the end of any ‘wish’
that I could produce my own peace. I
remember thinking, ‘I’ll give God a try.
There is no other hope.’ And the
hope I attained was not the hope we so casually speak of. We often use the word “hope” interchangeably
with the word “wish.” But biblical hope
is not a wish or a desire. Biblical hope
is the confident assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown. Hope in God is not wishing for change. It is the confident expectation of
change. It is a firm assurance of change
- even if the path is unclear and unknown.
Strength to continue on
It is hope
that gives us the ability to continue on in the face of struggles and
difficulties. “Happy are those who
mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 We are not happy
because we are going through the struggle.
But when we mourn – when we acknowledge our lack and our inability to
fix ourselves – it is then that we truly cry out to God and attain the comfort
of hope for change. That is the
comfort: the firm assurance that change
will come. Hope comforts us by
anticipating a positive change.
And that
positive change toward abundant living is driven by this principle: earnestly believe that God exists, that I
matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover. This principle drives us to pour out our
hearts to him and to cry to him for help.
It will also further us on our road of recovery from life’s challenges.
How do you perceive God?
At this
point, our journey toward abundant living is hindered only by our perception of
God. What you believe about God can
impact your ability to embrace his hope. We will explore some areas of belief about God
that may be preventing you from fully embracing the positive change that God
offers.
God is
all knowing and all powerful – ‘Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power.’ Romans 11:36.
God created all things, so he knows the inner workings of your heart and
the circumstances of your life better than you do. It is by his power that he sustains the
smallest of bugs and the sun in the sky.
He has the ability to work out the changes needed in your life.
God is
faithful – ‘I am
sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you
grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day
when Jesus Christ returns.’ Philippians
1:6. We tend to let each other
down. Even our best efforts can run dry
due to the ‘human-ness’ to which we are bound.
Sometimes we fail others because of forgetfulness or weariness. Other times we are injured or in some other
way hindered from following through on our promises. But God never forgets, never tires and is
always able to help us. God keeps his
promises even when we cannot.
God can
use anything to change us – We usually have very specific ways of accomplishing a task. It could be how we grow herbs in a garden,
how we brush our teeth, how we fold a towel or how we help others. We are limited by time, space, our intellects
and the limits of our imagination. But
God can use anything to help us – and he does!
‘2 Corinthians 12:9 says “My
grace is enough for you; for where there is weakness, my power is shown the
more completely.” God can use any
circumstance for his purpose. And his
intellectual prowess so surpasses ours that he can even use the very things
that hinder us in order to bring about our healing!
God is
not your earthly parent - Our parents, especially our fathers, have a major impact on our
perception of God. It is worthwhile to
examine your view of your father and ponder whether or not you impose those
views on God. Our parents are human and
will fail us, but God’s love is perfect and his tender care never fails. Psalm 27:10 in the International Standard
versions says, “Though my father and my mother abandoned me, the Lord gathers
me up.” In the New Living translation,
it says “…the Lord will hold me close.”
Those who were suppose to care for us may have failed at times, but God
never will!
Do you believe he is willing to
help you?
A final
question to ponder over the coming week is perhaps the most personal of
all: Do you believe God is willing to
change you? He has the
power. He has the ability. Do any of these thoughts creep into your
mind?
- I’ve seen him heal others, but it’s not for me
- My problems are too small for him to bother with
- I don’t have enough faith for him to work with
- I’m so awful, how could he love me?
There are
a thousand other thoughts that could cross your mind to tell you are not
significant enough or loveable enough for God to help. The book by Robert McGee, The Search for
Significance, has a wonderful subtitle: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's
Eyes. Many of us resist or miss out on
God’s help because we do not know our true worth in his sight. Consider Psalm 56:8 over the coming
week: “You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in
your book.” Others may feel
uncomfortable around your sadness because they do not know how to respond or it
triggers their own sadness or they simply do not have time. But you are so precious to God that he carefully
collects your tiers. The One who so
lovingly gathers your pain will certainly stay with you as you walk through
your sorrows to healing. Trust in Him
this week. He alone is worthy.
Group Work
- Discuss the definition of hope – not a wish, but a confident expectation of the unknown or unseen or unfathomable.
- Are you struggling with your perception of God in any of the areas discussed: (1) he is all knowing and all powerful (2) he is faithful (3) he can use anything to change you (4) he is not the same as your earthly parent or role model. Explain.
- Have you embraced the fact that he wants to help you – that he loves you tremendously?
- In what areas of your life are you now ready to let God help you. Or…are you willing to give one of your problems to God…to place it in his hands to resolve in his time and way?
