The currency of hope

When you are ill and feeling like this could be what carries you under what drives you is hope. Hope that the medication the doctor prescribed will do the job. Hope that your body is strong enough to fight the pathogens. Hope that tomorrow you’ll wake up feeling much better. 

But hope is not only a valuable currency when you are lying sick in your bed. Hope drives the world around. Did you know that there’s a thousand death traps that could kill you anyday? From your bedroom to your workplace and yet we wake up every day and match on like nothing could go wrong. Why? The bliss of ignorance? Perhaps for some of us. Don’t care attitude? I suppose for a number. But mostly it’s because hope tells us it’s okay. That it’ll be well.

I know I’m exaggerating but just think about it.  What made you work so hard in your studies back in school? What makes you give that extra hour in the office? Why do you try so hard with that relationship? There could be many reasons but I bet one of the main ones is hope. Hope that things will get better in future. That you’ll succed in life if you put the extra effort today. You’ll get into that college, get that job, that girl will marry you…

Listen to what famous people have said about hope:

“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.” – Bernard Williams

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson

The problem is when what we’d hope for doesn’t pay off and unfortunately that happens a lot. When hard work doesn’t always means a better job and pay. When giving more in a relationship doesn’t reap more love. When the boss doesn’t even realise just how hard you work. It’s the cause of many a depressed souls, many drug addicts and has even killed a good number. 

But someone will say such tragedies only happens when we give up hope. Realise how twisted that sounds, you get in trouble because of hope and hope is what will take you out of it. Hope that it’ll be better next time if you tried a bit harder this time or if you are a bit smart this time it’ll work out and the same story continues. Hope motivates us to go the extra mile but when it fails it may cost us our lives.

But what if our hope was placed in something or someone that could never fail? A hope that guarantees results not just as a cliche to make us work hard and for longer hours now. But hope that guarantees what it promises and delivers when’s it’s called upon. That would be worth everything. Wouldn’t it? That my friends is my hope this Christmas.

I’m talking about the hope of Christians based on what God said on his Word. You see God made a promise thousands of years ago that he would send his son to be ruler and rescuer of his people and he fulfilled that promise by sending Jesus to save his people from their sins, see Matthew 1:21. In this God proved he can be trusted and so his promise of the future informs our hope for today and tomorrow.

Hope that this same Jesus will come again to rescue us from this broken world, from it’s corruption, sickness and death. And bring us to that heavenly mountain to dwell with God in peace and gladness forever. Hear how John puts it when Jesus showed him a small peek through the window of this new world:

…4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.(H) There will be no more death’[b](I) or mourning or crying or pain,(J) for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21

This hope is sure because God has kept his word by sending Jesus to be born among men and to die to save us from our sins. This same Jesus was raised from the dead and is preparing this home for us now. So our hope is not only better than limited success, better pay or a working relationship. It’s sure and that’s the currency that drives the Christian and the work of the Gospel. 

This hope drives us out of bed into the world. It takes us through sickness and health, it informs our success and failure and gives us great joy even when circumstances are difficult. It’s not just a wish that things will get better. It’s a guarantee that the future eternal holds so much more for a believer that they can easily give up this life for Jesus and the Gospel now. And they can do that with great joy because of the reward of our hope. This is my hope and joy this Christmas

What’s your hope this Christmas?