Feeling Hopeless? There is Always Hope!
One of my favorite scenes from the Lord of The Rings movies is where a young boy who is being pressed into battle says to the hero Aragorn: “They say it is hopeless”. He replies: “there is always hope!”
Is there hope for today? There is always hope!
It’s more than a line from a movie; it’s a critical question. We live in a broken world, a truth that we are reminded of often. We see political and economic strife, interpersonal conflict, polarization and growing intolerance. I suspect we all have struggled with hopelessness at times. I know I do because we are enduring challenges we’ve never faced before. That’s why the question, “Is there hope?” is so important.
As we face the challenges and joys of what’s ahead, here are some unshakable truths that anchor our hope as Christians. No matter what you’re facing, remind yourself, and any who will listen, of the truth we read in the Bible:” According to his great mercy, God has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Our living hope is empowered by God.
Living hope: God chose us before we chose him.
Looking for hope? How about this? Even with everything going on and even with all the mistakes we sometimes make, God chose us before we chose him AND he even knew how we’d turn out! Peter tells us in his letter to the early church, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.” (1 Peter 1:2). Long before you chose God, he chose you. Your salvation was his idea. God took the initiative. And you were chosen for his purpose—to make you holy and get you ready for heaven and what you’d do in his name until that time comes. We all know what it’s like to feel chosen—whether you’re chosen for a team, a job, or as a spouse. But the highest honor you will ever receive is this: God has chosen you to spend eternity with him. That’s a big deal and that gives us hope on a very cold day!
Living hope: God has secured our future.
“I hope I’m good enough for Heaven….I hope God will accept me.”
As a pastor, I’ve heard things like this a lot over the years. Even after receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior many worry about whether or not they’re acceptable to God. If you’re a believer, you don’t need to worry about your eternal destiny. It’s secure. No matter what else changes in the days ahead, your eternity won’t shift a centimeter. The Bible says, “Now we live in the hope of eternal life because Christ rose again from the dead. And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay”(1 Peter 1:3-4) Jesus death on the cross secured that for those who believe in him and have surrendered their lives to him.
What does this mean in a practical sense?
In Jesus, you have a reservation in Heaven that can never be canceled because God chose you. No matter what the days ahead throw at you, it won’t be the end of you. For those in Christ, God has written the final chapter of your life—and you win! And until that happens, God’s got you in the day-to-day grind. He even has a purpose and plan for THIS DAY. So, hopeless? Far from it. There is always hope. May this truth, promise AND reality give you a sense of assurance and hope today!
In His grip,
Pastor Chris