April 19

My maternal grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she was filled with common sense and she was an astute student of human nature. She used to say things like,

“Everyone needs three things in life in order to be happy: Something to do; someone to love; and something to look forward to.”

One of the Proverbs in our reading for today underscores the third part of her observation,

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”  (Proverbs 13:12 NLT)

Hope is one of the most powerful forces that influences human behavior. When people have hope, it is amazing what they can put up with and overcome. Losing hope, on the other hand, can rob them of their vitality, personality, and even their will to live.

Sometimes people hold on to hope without it having any connection whatsoever to reality. By contrast, biblical hope is grounded in our conviction regarding the gracious, merciful, and bountiful character of God. That is why the Scriptures also say,

“No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame…” (Psalm 25:3 NIV)

The longer and more closely we follow Jesus, the more we see Him intervene time and time again in the most desperate seasons of our lives. Our past experience gives us hope in our present circumstances. The Apostle Paul articulated this connection between experience and hope in his letter to the Christians at Rome,

“Tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience, hope…” (Romans 5:3-5 KJV)

“…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 5:3–5 NIV)

This does not mean that if we follow Jesus everything will always turns out the way we would like for it to. It means that God will show up in those moments where we need Him the most…!

Pastor Mark