a novel idea...
I’ve had almost two weeks to reflect on the election and I’m still amazed at the HOPE Barack Obama was able to inspire. I have drastically underestimated the power of HOPE. My sister is a counselor and I remember her saying once that when you counsel people, one of the first things you have to do is give them HOPE. I’ve done a little bit of counseling myself and when people believed there was HOPE we usually had a degree of success as opposed to when they had no HOPE.
Like him or not, Barack Obama inspired millions to HOPE.
HOPE is a powerful emotion. The Obama phenomenon has taught us that if it has taught us nothing else. With it, people will do incredibly constructive things, but without it, they do incredibly destructive things.
I began to think about Barack and the HOPE he had inspired. I won’t attempt to say what that HOPE was grounded in, but I do know this, people felt it and they were and are moved by it. Interestingly enough, Christians profess to have HOPE, and yet, they rarely seem that attractive to me. In fact, I dare say that Christianity as a whole inspires a lot less apparent HOPE than Barack Obama.
I am sad and a little angry that this is the case, but you know, I am HOPEFUL that it doesn’t have to be the case.
What does the Bible say about hope?
Here is a sampling of the use of the word HOPE in the NT:
Romans 5:1 – 5: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 12:12: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 15:4, 13: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor. 3:12: Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
Ephesians 1:18: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Colossians 1:5, 27: the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1 Thessalonians 1:3: We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:8: But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
1 Timothy 4:10: we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 6:17: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Titus 2:13: while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Hebrews 6:18 – 20: God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
1 Peter 1:3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:13: Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:21: Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
1 Peter 3:15: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
1 John 3:3: Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
I know I’ve quoted a lot of verses but believe me I skipped a LOT! After just this cursory reading of the use of HOPE in the New Testament you can see that it is a MAJOR topic. It’s such a major topic that I’m struck with my own lack of HOPE. How is it that I, a believer in Jesus Christ…a Christian, have failed to inspire HOPE in others?
Obama inspired millions to HOPE, and he did it with a HOPE that is incomparable to the HOPE that dwells in us.
Why have we failed to live lives that overflow with hope? Why have we failed to inspire hope in others? As humbly as I can say it, it seems to me that we (and I first of all) overflow with judgment, cynicism, anger, manipulation, contempt, & division, but not HOPE. Are we blind guides? I have met very few unreligious people who think of “the church” as a place of hope. I think when sinners met Jesus they felt hope. What do they feel when they meet us?
I believe our failure to HOPE and inspire HOPE is directly related to our unbelief. Where the Gospel is proclaimed and believed, three things happen: 1) Faith is INCREASED, 2) Hope is INSPIRED, and 3) Love (for God & others) is IGNITED. Part of the problem is we think the Gospel is about getting out of hell, or we quickly dismiss it as only something the unbeliever needs to hear. Nothing could be further from the truth!
The Gospel is full of HOPE! Romans 5:1-5 have become foundational verses for me. By faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit pours out the love of God in our hearts and we are filled with HOPE! We, who once fell short of the glory of God, now rejoice in HOPE of the Glory of God! His love fills us and his HOPE sustains us!
Our HOPE is grounded in this: we will see, and share in, the GLORY OF GOD! Do you know how deeply we long for glory? Why do you stare at the heavens? You stare at them because they declare the glory of God. Why does a beautiful sunset capture you? Why do the colors of fall overwhelm you? Because you were made for glory and they declare the glory of God to you! You long for glory…and the Gospel proclaims that in CHRIST we will behold the glory of God…and share in it!
Someday, we will live in a world that is filled with His glory! Someday we will live in a world where Love Wins. Someday we will live in a world where Peace Rules. Someday we will live in a world where Justice will run like waters and Righteousness like a mighty stream. Someday we will live in a world where our Faith will be sight and our Hope will be realized. Someday the knowledge of God will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea!
Someday we will behold the glory of Christ and share in it. We will be co-heirs with the Son of God. This is why Paul says, Christ in you, the HOPE of glory! The God who created the Universe has not only condescended to walk among us as a man, He has pursued us into the core of our very being. He makes his home IN US and calls us his sons and daughters, his friends, his lovers. There is no deeper more profound intimacy than the intimacy we have with the KING…Christ in us, the HOPE of glory!!!!
I am thankful for what God has taught me through Barack Obama. I have been reminded that HOPE is powerful. I have been reminded that lasting HOPE is only found in the God of HOPE. I have been reminded of the Good News that the Kingdom of God is coming and is even now among us. I have been reminded of the Good News that Jesus Christ died for my sins, that God’s wrath has been turned away as His love is poured out in my heart! I have been reminded that Jesus Christ, the glorious One, the God of HOPE has come to live in me and through him I have HOPE! Someday, I will see him face to face! Someday I will live in a world that is filled with all that I have ever dreamed of. Someday, I will be “home” here with Him and the Garden will be among us and we will eat and drink and laugh and rejoice in HOPE of the glory of God!
I have made it a point to seek to wake up every day and live in HOPE with the God of HOPE. I may never inspire millions like Barack did, but every day I can seek to live in the HOPE of the Gospel and inspire ONE person with HIS HOPE.
I may not inspire millions, but I can live in HOPE of the glory of God. Who knows, maybe if a group of people did that (novel idea), God would use them to change the world.
fr'nklin
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Reader Comments (14)
Y'know, I liked Barak Obama very early on--not because his agenda was the best or that I thought his programs would work--but because he spoke to me on a different level than I had been spoken to in a long time. He *reminded* me of something that I had forgotten.
When you read the Scriptures on hope they are in the context (oftentimes) of reminding ourselves of what lies ahead rather then what exists today. Hope calls us forward to a better existence, a better life, a better homeland.
It differs from promise, though--which is specific. A promise is a clear description of what will be given. Obama didn't offer promise and he fell under criticism many times during the campaign and people said he just used flowery speeches with no content. But he wasn't offering promise. He was offering hope.
Hope speaks to something within in me. Some seed that is full of potential that just needs to germinate, sprout, grow, blossom, and bear fruit. I am an active participant in the germination of that hopeful seed.
But when I've forgotten my hope. When I've been beaten down or lied to or somehow lost that hope, I am lost. The way is there, unchanging...I just need someone to remind me of it. To point me along it and to, basically, spur my heart in pursuit of it.
There are more people "engaged" in America right now than there has been since we first lost faith in our government in Vietnam. We have lost faith in our companies as well to be employers who work in partnership with us. We have lost faith on our ability to create and compete. We needed someone to remind us that we are something other than that. That we have hope.
Hope isn't the product you "give" to someone. Hope is a redirection of someone's life toward what already exists.
Paul said that if our only hope is in this life, we are to be pitied above all men. I think the opposite is true as well; if we only have hope in some disembodied future, we run the danger of being pretty pitiful here in this life.
We seem to spend all our time at the Atonement and forget the significance of the Incarnation and Ascension. IMHO, these are what instruct us to see God in man right now as well as looking forward to the restoration of all things in the New Jerusalem.
If all we have to do is "get people saved" because of the Atonement, we forget our responsibility to live an incarnational life in our community, and to work with an eye to the time when Christ will make all things right.
Of course, that's harder to do than convince people to pray a prayer or sign a card, or come be entertained at church.
What is interesting is that I don't recall a single sermon on hope from my years as a conservative Evangelical. Note that this pastor's sermons collection (http://www.biblebb.com/mac-h-z.htm) has just one under the category of hope, but even that is in the context of something else (holiness and honor).
And hope is supposed to be one of the Big Three (1 Cor 13:13).
Maybe that is a good thing. Faith and Love have long been hijacked by fundamentalists. They have been thoroughly doctrinized, systematized, philosophized, intellectualized, and gutted beyond recognition.
But maybe there is still hope that we can still hope in hope :).
I just want to be an agent of HOPE...I'm FINISHED with the "agent of change" label. A label many have tried to get me to wear and one I've always detested.
This statement has stuck with me for a few days now since I read this post.
"I began to think about Barack and the HOPE he had inspired. I won’t attempt to say what that HOPE was grounded in, but I do know this, people felt it and they were and are moved by it. Interestingly enough, Christians profess to have HOPE, and yet, they rarely seem that attractive to me. In fact, I dare say that Christianity as a whole inspires a lot less apparent HOPE than Barack Obama."
I think you did a great job ending the post with the Hope that we have and did a great job communicating the point...our Hope is in Christ and through Christ and in turn given to us. I have had a few thoughts I wanted to share (go figure)...
www.senselight.squarespace.com
<<All our hopes are met at Christmas. Hope that…
…allowed Abraham to become the father of many nations.
…lets us rejoice in the glory of God.
…makes us wait in anticipation for the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul told the Romans that “…suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character and character produces hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
We hope for what we have not seen, because who hopes for things they already have?
As the prophet Micah said, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”>>
I think hope is important because hope embraces the other parts of the 1 Corinthians trinity (faith, hope and love). We can hope in faith and hope in love, we can't necessarily turn those phrases around.