Is There Hope?

                The events of this past week have again shaken us to our core. It is hard to imagine why two young men would choose to indiscriminately attack innocent people. We will never fully understand why they chose to attack the spectators at the Boston Marathon. It leaves us with the question, is there any hope?

                Hope is a strange thing. We cannot live without hope, yet we often take it for granted. Hope is strong when everything is going well, yet is severely shaken when things go wrong. Hope is fragile, yet it is resilient as well. Some people give up hope easily, while others hang onto hope when it seems like all hope is gone.

                I want to be clear about what I am talking about when I refer to hope. Many people use the word “hope” as a synonym for wishful thinking. I hope I win the lottery. I hope it is sunny for my picnic. I hope the Cleveland Indians win the World Series. This is not the kind of hope that I am talking about. Instead I am talking about the kind of hope that is a confident assurance in a trusted entity. Closely related to hope is faith; trusting fully in someone or something that is trustworthy.

                The Bible tells us that we have a living hope that can never be diminished. That hope is in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

                Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)

                Our hope is anchored in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If it were not for the resurrection, our hope would be futile. But Christ has been raised. He has conquered sin and death on our behalf. He now gives us hope that we too can have victory over sin and death in our lives.

                Our hope is secure in Christ. Many people worry about their retirement. Will Social Security be there for me when I retire? Will my savings be enough? Because of our relationship with Jesus Christ, through faith, we have an eternal inheritance kept for us in heaven that can never be diminished or taken away from us.

                Our hope is resilient because of Christ. Everyone faces struggles and hardships throughout their life. Some people allow those hardships to overwhelm them and rob them of hope. Others persevere through hardship because their hope is eternal not temporal. The resilience of our hope is not dependent upon the amount of difficulties we face or don’t face in life. It is dependent upon the substance of our hope. The substance of our hope is Christ. So Paul can write the following words with confidence.

                Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

                Our hope is being rewarded by Christ. Faith in Christ is not wishful thinking. Faith in Christ is a solid conviction that we are under his care. The more we look to Christ for strength, the more we can face the challenges that life throws at us. There are several passages of scripture that can become words of assurance for us when the path gets rocky.

                I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)

                And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

                Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

                The truth is that we will face many more unexplainable events in our lives that have the potential to shake our hope for the future. We need to take them seriously, but we cannot let them take over our lives. Our hope is not in a political system or economic stability or even our personal safety. Our hope is in the saving, transforming, and enduring power of Jesus Christ. So as we face the next Boston Marathon tragedy, we can hold onto the promise of Jesus.

                "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)