The Gift of Hope

Psalm 46:1, Romans 12:12; Romans 15:13

“Hope is like a golden cord connecting you to Heaven. The more you cling to this cord, the more I bear the weight of your burdens; thus you are lightened.”  Jesus Calling

Heaven is not a place for burdens.  I remember the song No Tears in Heaven that says in heaven there will be no tears, no sorrow, no pain; and that is a life that our Heavenly Father so desperately wants for us now.  Yes there are going to be times of tears, sorrow, and pain while we are on this earth, but the promise that we have if we hold tight to Him that he will carry our burdens for us. Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, refuge is defined as a shelter or protection from danger or distress or a place that provides shelter or protection.  Our God wants to be that protection for us while we are on this earth.  Think about it like this, in North America alone there are 556 wildlife refuges.  The reason that we have wildlife refuges is because those animals were being harmed or were in danger whether it is from man-made devices or from natural causes.  Our God is our wildlife refuge, whether it is because of something that we have inflicted upon ourselves or because of something out of our control.  Romans 12:12 says “…rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer…”  We are called to rejoice in the fact that we have a hope of eternal life, we are called to rejoice in the fact that we have a Savior whose love for us is so far outside of our understanding, we are called to rejoice in the fact that the tribulations (read dangers) of this world are temporary and that our Lord and Savior wants nothing more than for us to lean on him during those times. 

Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”    Our hope is not some basket we just carry around with us holding onto in the case that we need it.  Our hope is powerful; our hope in the coming Savior draws the power of the Holy Spirit into our lives.  The same Holy Spirit that led David to be a man after God’s own heart, the same Holy Spirit that led a teenager become the mother of Christ, the same Holy Spirit that led Jesus to perform miracle after miracle.  That is the same Holy Spirit that we can have dwelling inside of us if we have the hope that our God so desperately desires for us. 

Jesus Christ does not want us to live a life full of fear of what is happening around us.  Jesus Christ does not want us to live a life where we feel that the world is closing in around us.  Jesus Christ wants us to live a life that is so full of hope that we cannot wait for the day that He returns.  Jesus Christ wants us to live a life that is full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ wants us to live a life were we can share that hope with others.

My wife is a huge fan of giving gifts.  Christmas is one of her favorite times of the year because she gets to go out and get gifts for people she loves in hopes that they will in turn like the gift that they have been given.  But let’s pretend that next year; there are no people to receive the gifts that she has spent so much time and effort on.  The joy of gift giving would be gone for her.  Our God is also a big fan of giving gifts; not only did he give us this gift of his Son, but he gives us the gift of Hope every day.  The question is, are you in the place to receive that gift?