True Hope Can't Be Destroyed

Photo by Fuu J on Unsplash

“Hope Returns”

 by Matthew West

When your world is crashing, when your knees hit the ground

Hold on, that's when hope returns

(Written during COVID-19)

At first, it was just postponed activities. They would be back in just a few weeks once this all blew over. Then a few weeks kept stretching as more weeks were added. Suddenly, we were even past the postponed date. I held out hope for weeks, for one activity at church I got to volunteer at. I have been serving with a group of girls in the kitchen, baking and taste testing together. I loved watching them laugh, and hearing their stories. I had been building this relationship for months and I so desperately wanted to finish out the program before summer break. The hope kept getting smaller and smaller till I finally had to admit the truth:

It was over. It was canceled.

As I struggled with the grief of not getting to see the girls one more time. One night it hit me really profoundly. I sat on my bed with my Bible, crying out to Jesus. Wondering why He would take that thing away. As I sat there, I looked through the Bible for what true, unshakable hope was.

What is hope?

Hope (Definition from the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)

• expectation or fulfillment or success
  
• To cherish a desire with anticipation
  
• To expect with confidence
  

The second definition is my favorite “to cherish a desire with anticipation”. I had dreams of going back to the kitchen and cooking with the girls. I held the hope tightly, not wanting to let it go. With anticipation I waited. I prayed and hoped. That dream was not fulfilled, but I still had hope. I will alway have hope in Jesus.

Hoping in Jesus

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” — Hebrews 6:19a

When my earthly hopes were snatched away, I was left with only one: Jesus. Jesus has left me with the hope that He will come back, that He has never forsaken me, and that He has conquered the world. My hope is in Jesus, who is not going to change and is ultimately the only hope for a broken world. I cherish Him and wait in excited anticipation for the day that He will come and take me to be with Him forever.

This quote is a charming picture of what it means to hope in God.

“I know now that real hope was me leaning into the arms of God, who would hold me regardless of my circumstances.” — Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors, page 128

We get to hope in Jesus, and He will not let go of us while we hope. Hope is leaning in to God when our hope for this world is plucked away. When the world rocks and we can’t find our feet, Jesus holds us. The Bible tells us that Jesus is not only our source of hope but that He is our hope (Romans 15:17).

When earthly hope are smashed

When your world is crashing, when your knees hit the ground…

I am sure a lot of us have felt our world crash. Things have closed, people have gotten sick, yet I have held onto the hope that is found in Jesus, because that hope cannot be taken away.

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 5:5

This verse demonstrates that our hope in Jesus cannot be stolen. In the New Living Translation it says this:

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” — Romans 5:5 (NLT)

I love the word choice in both of these translations. Shame puts a picture of embarrassment in my head, like a puppy with its tail between its legs. Disappointment puts a picture of hopelessness in my head. But God’s love has given us hope. Because of His love we still have hope.

Our earthly hope may be smashed to a billion pieces, our worlds may crash into us, but through the Holy Spirit and God’s love we still can expect with confidence that God is good. The Bible says:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." — John 3:16

God so loves us that He sent Jesus to be a hope that cannot be smashed. A hope that we long for and desire with excitement. We are promised that Jesus is coming back. One day He will wipe away every tear and there will be no more pain. That hope will not lead to disappointment like a cancelled activity. It will not make us embarrassed for even hoping it would continue. Because we have experienced God’s love, we can have hope. 

Hope always rebounds

Let’s face it; it hurts when our hopes for an event or activity are demolished. But hope will always rebound. God’s love is never ending, so hope will rebound. Like Matthew West says in this song, Hold on, that's when hope returns.

“… then our hope puts us right up next to our loving Father. Our hope is our offering to Him, our sacrifice… He will turn our darkness into light, and He will carry us home. Chin up, love, He whispers. Hold on to that hope.” — Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors, page 199

God still prevails. As we hope, we get closer and closer to Jesus, our true hope. Even though I missed the last opportunity to be in the kitchen with the girls, I am not hopeless or discouraged. I believe that God had a plan for that, and in His marvelous way He is going to use it to show hope to others. Hold on, hope in Jesus, and you will not be put to shame. We can await with confidence: He is our hope.