Hope for the Future

Hope for the Future

We experience all kinds of hope: hope for the future, hope during uncertainty, etc.  But as a Christian, our hope should never flee.  “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6).  Christ’s followers placed their hope in him while he was walking on earth.  And then, Christ was crucified and laid in a dark tomb for two days.

I’m sure you can imagine the trials of hope and faith that the early believers were going through during those two days when Christ’s body laid lifeless in the tomb.  Although they were uncertain, God was certain.  He was raised from the dead on the third day to prove once and for all that death has been defeated.  Through his death, we find forgiveness and will also be raised from the dead, since death has been defeated for those that place their hope and faith in Christ.

Readers, I’m not sure what your struggle is in life.  Perhaps you are going through a difficult trial in a relationship, laid off work, cannot find a job, suffered a loss, financial difficulty, etc.  But realize this: that our hope should never be defeated as long as our hope is placed in God.  Our hope not only in that God will fulfill His promise to us of eternal life, but also our hope for that certain blessing that we wait for through petitioning to God.  I don’t want to be the one to state the obvious, but if God can raise the dead to life, then surely he can fulfill anything that we ask of Him while we are alive.

I am not preaching a wealth and prosperity message.  Because this caveat applies:

Our hope is not to be placed in what God can do, but in his character and identity

What does this mean? Simply put, our hope is in God but we must also recognize God’s will for our life.  Meaning, His moral will, that He desires us to be sanctified above all else and that He is always looking to strengthen our relationships with Him.  Therefore, we do not receive everything that we ask for because God has another plan.  And this pleasantly opposing (to our flesh), yet superior plan helps us to better understand the identity and character of God the Father.

Hopefully this message of hope is not only relevant as we celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits (aka Easter), but also as we go through trials that require hope.  Philippians 4:13 says “I can do anything through him who gives me strength.”  Does this mean that we can “ace this school test” or “knock a job interview out of the park” because God gives us strength?  Highly doubtful.  But I believe what Paul is teaching us here is that there is a secret to complacency, contentness, and confidence in this world: putting our hope not in this world, but in the identity and character of God and in the salvation of Christ.

-Mark