A Living Hope

Peter, not just a disciple, but one of the close friends of Jesus, is one of those people that I can really relate to in Scripture. He spoke and acted before thinking, was bullheaded, had his emotions on his sleeve, said and did things he later regretted, and rushed in while others hesitated. Yep, I think Peter and I could exchange some stories! (I’m looking forward to doing that around that beautiful banquet table, when calories no longer matter!) We don’t get the full story about Peter when reading in the gospels and what Paul and others wrote about him, but we get a pretty good idea that God really worked in and through Peter throughout his adult life by what he wrote, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in his epistles to the early church. It gives me hope that the Lord can still work in and through me.

One of the most moving things Peter wrote that I’ve read over and over again is I Peter 1. In verse 3 it says, “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…” Please take time to read that whole chapter, hey, read all of 1^st and 2^nd Peter! Your life will never be the same.

Hope in the temporal is no hope at all. You can hope to get a new job, you can hope that someone likes you, you can even hope that you’ll be skinny some day! But, those things, even if you see them come to pass, won’t last for eternity. And, most likely, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s not going to meet your expectations. Maybe you’ll get that job, but it won’t have the pay and benefits you expected, or the people you work with are annoying. The person you like finally says he/she likes you, but turns out to be shallow and self-centered. You get skinny, and then… well, I can’t think of anything bad about that! Haha, just kidding.

The hope we who have a relationship with God have is an eternal hope, as Peter put it, a living hope. We have eternal life because of His power over death. We know that we will live with our Lord forever, because we’re sealed with His Spirit. How can we think that our measly, short-lived problems are too difficult for Him?

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Prov. 13:12 NIV

But, what we hope for doesn’t happen on our timetable. We can’t pray for something to happen, then put it on the calendar or a reminder on the smart phone. Sometimes, we have to wait. Sometimes, there is no end in sight. Sometimes, the trials come from all sides and it’s hard to see the Light. We want so much for our sick hearts to be made well.

The tree of life was in the Garden of Eden, when all was perfect. There was no sin and all needs were met. No tears, no pain, only love and peace. Adam and Eve had it made! This perfection and beauty will be restored when Jesus makes all things new (check out Revelation 22 and bask in that hope!). Oh, to finally experience that glory that is to be revealed that cannot compare to these present “momentary troubles” (Rom. 8:18)! Oh, how I long for His glory to be revealed!

Recently, a Senegalese pastor and good friend of ours preached on a conversation between God and Moses, who was called a “friend of God.” Moses, like Peter, did some dumb things in his lifetime, but he knew he could put his hope in the Lord God. He also knew what to ask God for.

Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence…”

Exodus 33:18-19a NIV

When I’ve read Moses’ conversations with God, I’ve thought, wow, he’s pretty brazen with Almighty God! Moses and God had been through a lot together in Moses’ lifetime. It says in Exodus 33 that God would speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. Having such a close relationship with such a powerful God, you would think that he could ask for anything. What did Moses ask for? To see God’s glory. And, how did God respond? He showed Moses His goodness.

God is GOOD.

That phrase in English, in French, in every language among those that say they believe in Him, has become a cheap catchphrase. But, if you know God, like Moses did, or like Peter, who also spoke with God as a friend, you know the TRUTH of it.

Hope in our good God will never disappoint. Circumstances may seem completely hopeless. There is absolutely no good solution in sight. Friends have turned their backs on us. But God, whether we trust in Him or not, is ALWAYS good. It is His nature. It is who He is.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Rom. 15:13 NLT

So, in the meantime, waiting and watching with eyes that can’t see, we trust in God, who is THE source of hope. There is no politician, no religious leader, even no friend that can be a consistent source of goodness like our Lord can. Because, unlike every other person people can hope in, our God is alive! So we have a living hope! Hallelujah!

My hope is in you, Lord, all the day long.

I won’t be shaken by drought or storm

A peace that passes understanding is my song

And I sing my hope is in You, Lord.

-Aaron Shust