In general, we blame our life circumstances as cause for our hopelessness, ignorant of the fact that our hope is in being connected with God for our life matters. Moreover, if our understanding of God is distorted, then things fall apart even more. John Piper in one of his articles says, “Hoping in God does not come naturally for sinners like us. We must preach it to ourselves, and preach diligently and forcefully, or we will give way to a downcast and distressed spirit.”. The Bible gives the exact reason for why our hope is sinking. In the book of Ephesians in the Bible it is stated, “At that time you were without Christ...without hope and without god in the world.”. This is the primary reason why people struggle with hopelessness while desperately waiting for something. Did you hear in the sentence given, without god and without Christ? Yes, you heard it right. We live in a time where if you had to count all the gods worshipped in this planet earth, it will be in millions or may be more. We don’t have a dearth for gods. Our gods are success, money, career, sex and so on. There are too many religious buildings and shrines. In a sea of gods, our sinful heart is lost plagued by restlessness and hopelessness.
Don Wilton puts his thoughts beautifully “we have become an increasingly idolatrous people. God cannot be pleased. We worship so many of our blessings instead of simply thanking God and enjoying them. We worship sports, celebrities, clothes, money, church buildings (religious shrines), politics, positions, abilities, and capabilities. Idolatry is the worship of anything and anyone other than God.”.
Sometimes we hope for things in which there is no hope. A car can’t bring true hope; it can bring a feeling of contentment and exhilaration, but not real hope. Financial stability can’t bring true hope; it can bring security and a level of ease, but not true hope. A spouse can’t bring true hope because a spouse’s abilities are limited to what he or she can control. True hope comes from the One who created hope: God. True hope comes by knowing a true God and trusting Christ even when circumstances are difficult. Only Christ claimed to be God and proved to be God by His incarnation. He came to this world fully human and yet without sin. The purpose of His coming is to make a provision through His sacrifice on the cross for our sinful condition so that whoever believes on Him will live now and forever. No defined formula but He proved this through His resurrection from the grave; therefore, we have hope on Him.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.” So how do you know if you have put your hope in God or on something else? By looking at what you have tied yourself to, in life, as your primary security source. How do you react when the rope gets cut to that source? That reveals how much hope you have placed in that versus in God. Can you find a Bible to know who Christ is in your life? As stated earlier in this blog, when you start knowing Christ and accepting Him in your life, then your perspective and your life changes forever and you see how God is guiding you and navigating you through the winding roads of life. The Bible states, “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”.
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