If faith is confident assurance in the present then hope is eager anticipation for what’s to come. Hope keeps us going. It holds us together when we’re falling apart and mends our wounds through its power. Hope provides an unwavering anchor for the soul. But where do we look for hope in an often dark and stormy world?
In order to realize the worth of the anchor we need to feel the stress of the storm.
Corrie ten Boom-writer, watchmaker, and holocaust survivor
It’s tempting to place all our hope in people or institutions. If I marry the right person or I work for a Fortune 500 company, then all my problems will be solved. Think again. Even the best spouse or workplace will let you down. It isn’t fair to depend on them to fulfill all your needs. Looking for someone or something to validate and complete you isn’t realistic.
Others seek hope through science and technology. Perhaps advances in medical knowledge will give us the means to live forever. Through innovation over the past 160 years the average lifespan has doubled from 39.4 years in 1860 to 78.9 years in 2020. This is amazing. But some believe we’ve reached a peak and the average lifespan is actually going down due to a number of factors. Science and technology have their limits.
This next week I hope to receive my initial inoculation for immunity against the virus. As a health care provider, I’m in the group receiving the first wave. I’m not a front line worker but I like to think I’m backing them up as the second line of defense in our outpatient clinic. If enough people are inoculated in the next few months, this could be the beginning of the end to our crisis. I hope it’s an answer to our prayers.
Even though I’m confident in the science and willing to volunteer my own body to prove the process, I have no guarantee of success. This is not where I place my ultimate hope. Our temporal world is constantly changing and unpredictable. Hope must be grounded in an unmovable, everlasting anchor I can depend upon no matter what the circumstance. There’s only one who is the same yesterday, today and forever and that person is Jesus.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God. They are brought to their knees and fail, but we rise up and stand firm.
Psalm 20:7-8 NIV
On Christmas day, 2000 years ago, living hope came down to dwell among us. Jesus offers himself as this hope providing an unwavering anchor for the soul. He holds us fast within his arms no matter what assails us. So many choices stand before us today offering the promise of fulfillment and hope. But beware of hollow assurances that are either temporary or unreliable. When a tempest howls around you, look to the one who is solid and true for hope within the storm.
