Our Need for Hope
Our Need for Hope
People in today’s world are desperate for hope. Bleak economic times test our confidence. The constant barrage of bad news in the media tries our faith. Life can seem bland, and lack meaning and purpose. Our relationships can feel shallow, void of depth and passion. There are any number of life circumstances that can flood us with disappointment.
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For the most part, we are able to muster the emotional strength we need in order to stem the tide of discouragement. But when one bad thing piles on top of the next, it can tip the balance. Disappointment and discouragement begin to overwhelm. That’s when you wake up in the morning only to discover you’ve lost every bright prospect for a better day. And nothing leads to despair like the loss of hope.
Woody Allen has offered a cynical view of our search for hope:
“More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.”
God never intended that his people should live with such despair. But what is hope? Is it wishful thinking? An aspiration for better times? A longing that life will get easier? Something within us says that hope—the sort of life-giving hope that Danielle’s family needed—is far deeper and more profound than “wishing upon a star.” Our instincts tell us that hope should not be a faint and flighty desire. Hope should be rock solid and real, unshakable, immovable, and even eternal.
It is this dazzling assurance the Bible intends when it speaks of hope. God desires we have this kind of hope; and his intentions are best expressed in Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “‘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.’”