I think we know, that above anything else, this world needs hope. Hope underpins, it gives confidence to the mind and brings peace to the heart. Where there is no hope there is discouragement, fear, anxiety, and despair.
I looked up the meaning of hope on the internet. Here are just a few things I learned.
- Hope is NOT just passive wishing, but rather an active mindset made up of goals, pathways and also the willpower to act.
- Hope is a powerful buffer against stress and trauma.
- Hope gives resilience and the ability to cope.
- Hope gives a sense of meaning which combats helplessness which can lead to despair and burnout.
- It has been found that where there is hope it brings a faster recovery to healing.
So, how can we attain this active mindset of hope that will sustain us? Certainly not from looking at the world around us and hoping that things will get better, and definitely not by relying on world leaders to come up with a permanent solution to problems. Hope needs to be in something that is rock solid. so that when everything falls to pieces around us, it is still there, our firm anchor. That anchor is faith in God who never changes, God who is the creator and sustainer of this universe, the one who holds all things together and is eternal, knowing the end from the beginning.
Hope is found in the Bible, but it takes wisdom to find it! Psalm 111 vs 10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments." Proverbs
9:10 also says similar, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
For some people it is easier to just "hope against hope" rather than put some effort in to search for real hope. It takes a certain humility to pick up a Bible and read, or to seek out a person or group where you can ask questions about faith and hope. This is the only way to find that anchor of hope. Even church attendance alone will not give you that. Real hope is only to be found in relationship with Jesus Christ who laid down his life so that we could have peace with God, our creator.
The knowledge of God is freely available in his word, the Bible. This is the kind of wisdom to be found there......"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." James 3:17.
The Bible tells us that three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love. Will you seek out the wisdom which will lead you into these wonderful gifts?
MY PRAYER FOR YOU: Gracious God, my heavenly Father, I pray that you will give a strong desire to this reader to seek out your wisdom which will lead them to anchor their hope in you that they might find peace and eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
