Hope is not a cliche

The three of us were actually talking football when she approached us with the dew of tears in her eyes.

On cue, we paused our trivial conversation and turned to her with concern.

She asked for prayer, especially for her family and most importantly for the redemption of her marriage.

Right there we prayed over her, asking the Lord to bring His will to her marriage and to fill her with peace, surrounding her with friends to lift her up.

And, then one of my friends offered this innocent cliché : “It will all work out.”

All who know me, and have known me, know that I have a problem with cliché. It drives me crazy – empty expressions we toss around without even thinking about the meaning the words might have.

While it is true, for believers, things do work out . . . ultimately, we get to heaven and live eternally with our Lord . . . things don’t always work out the way we want them to here on Earth, but they always work out according to God’s will for our lives and to bring glory and worship to Him. After all, at the point of salvation, we step from living for self to living for Jesus – we are born again to a new way of living and thinking. And, in that, we can know and expect that all things, according to His will for us, are possible for God. And, that lifting our prayers to Him, expectantly, and wholly trusting His plan for our lives will bring immeasurable peace and joy to our lives.

For me, that is Hope: The wiggling of my life deep into the palms of God to a place that I just know and expect Him to take complete care of my present and future while I put my life’s compass on loving and serving Him and others.

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish people expected a Savior. The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 9:6-7: For a child is born to us, a son is given. The government will rest on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . . . the passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” Do you see the confidence and the expectancy in those words? Think about it. The people who wrote and prayed that never saw Jesus, but they remained expectant and hopeful that God would hear them and answer them in His own good time and way.

Look what Jesus’ disciple, Matthew, later wrote in Matthew 11:3:  “John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah (Savior) was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “’Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting or should we keep looking for someone else.” You see, the Jewish people were hopeful – a Messiah had been promised, they expected it to come true, and it did.

Hope for believers is not simply that, ho-hum, “everything will work out” cliché but that as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.” In describing spiritual growth, Paul builds it around faith, hope and love. Hope is an attitude of faith and focus. Things don’t just “work out for me” – no – I KNOW they will work out for me. I KNOW that if I stay the course of faithfulness to the life God has planned for me – everything WILL work out. But, how I do know? Well, it’s about trust and faith, and I have that through my relationship with Jesus.

I know God does not want me to be lonely the rest of my life.
I know God will protect my children and point them back to the Godly home in which they were raised.
I know, if I am unemployed, that God has a plan to care for my family, to surround me with life preservers, and to call me closer to Him.
I know God has the power to restore relationships.
I know God has the power to restore and redeem my marriage.
I know God will bring me a peace as I minister to my aging parents, and protect relationships with my siblings.
I know God will get me through these painful holidays, which remind me of my loss column rather than my gain column.
I know God will point me to the best friend that I’ve ever had.
I know God can bind back Satan as He works to destroy my life through addictions.
I know God has the power to bring peace and relief to my physical problems, and to teach me about patience and kindness through them.
I know God has the power to mend my broken heart.
I know God has the power to bring a white, hot light to the darkness of my life, and cleanse me through a faith in Jesus.
I know God hears all of my prayers, and I know He will answer them in the way that is best for me.
I know God wants my lost family and friends to know Jesus, and I know that He is in the life-changing and life-saving business, and I know that He has the power to break and mend even the most lost heart.

Hope, for the believer, regardless of age or circumstance, race or pocket book, white collar or blue collar, GED or doctorate – Hope for the believer has, does and will always come down to this: An expectation that according to God’s will specific events can and will happen in my life. And, I can put my head on my pillow at night and put my feet on the floor in the morning, and KNOW, that God has control of my day – my relationships, my health, my finances, my spouse, my children, my parents and my siblings – every cell and fiber of my existence. God is in control. I can walk boldly and upright in this day with the Scriptural HOPE that God is in control of me.

In Mark 9:14-24, a man brings Jesus his demon-possessed son.

The boy’s father says, If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.”
Jesus exclaims, “If you are able! – All things can be done for the one who believes.” (Jesus is saying that for those who believe in Him, they will have everything they need to serve Christ. God can do anything, and will do all things according to His will for us. But, even when He can’t or won’t magically give us what we desire, we will have peace over his response.”