CONFIDENT HOPE
Romans 15:13 (NKJV) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The hope we must embrace is a hope that comes from God, from His perspective, and focused on a much bigger picture. It is this hope alone that endures, and it is this hope alone that anchors our emotions in the stormy trials certain to come. Our passage says that God is the God of hope. In other words, hope is His thing. It is what He does. Ever tried to wash your hand without water? It doesn’t work so well. It is the same as trying to possess hope without God. It doesn’t work so well. Therefore, as difficulties come, if we are to benefit from what hope offers, we must throw ourselves in abandon to God and let the God of hope work His unswerving hope in us, supplying a confident positivity toward the future.
Let's look again at the roller coaster rider who faces certain challenges in the experience. It can cause discomfort from mild injuries, at least to the older rider, of which I can attest. It can cause dizziness and nausea; again, I speak from experience. The ride can terrify as it reaches heights and performs twists that defy gravity, accelerating to speeds that leave the rider completely vulnerable to the laws of physics. Of course, this is the thrill of it all, minus the injury and nausea of course, and why people pay good money to have the experience - there is a real danger involved. As unlikely as a fatal accident is, it can and has occurred, yet most riders still ride with full confidence that their safety harness will hold, that the mechanisms securing the car to the track will hold, and that the bolts and cement anchoring the track to the ground will hold. These riders see the bigger picture and endure, even enjoy, the discomfort and terrifying experience of the ride. Yet there are others who are overwhelmed with fear and think only of the ride’s end. These riders shrink back from the experience, probably never to return. Thus, one rides with confidence that the ride will end well, and the other with terror that it will not. The former enjoys (has joy on) the ride; the latter is gripped with fear and anxiety.
How do we approach the ride of life? Are we enjoying and encountering the God of Hope, safe in the shadow of His wings (Ps 36:7), secure in His saving power (Heb 6:19), and rooted and grounded in His abounding love (Eph 3:17), or do we live in terror and fear of the next thing that might be lurking around the corner? The answer will set the tone of our lives and determine whether we endure in our faith or shrink back.
