Most of the time, we are hoping for positive things to happen. Like passing an exam, winning on a raffle, for a good relationship and many things that we desire.
But hope in God is not as easy as hope in other things. And most of the time we misuse this word by using the word hope instead of 'wish' or a mere human desire.
In hoping, God must be our focus. We hope in God and we depend on God who is faithful and whose promises are true. The problem is, in the bible this god who promises makes absurd promises. This God who is dependable and who is the focus of our hope promises a lot. But the promises of God are quite absurd and ridiculous.
For example, his promise to Noah, to build an ark, gather pairs of animals and the humanity will start again in you. Another example is his promise to Abraham, God said that He will be the father of a multitudes of nation. How absurd. Why? because Abraham and Sarah in their old age doesn't have even a child. After Sarah gave birth the Lord asks them to offer their son. What an absurd request. But they still trust and believe in God's promises.
They follow everything God said, Why? because they trusted the one making the promise even of the promise looks absurd. That must be our attitude to God. Even His promises looks absurd, I will abide because You said so. I don't look at the absurd content of what you are saying, I am looking at You, the one making the promise.
Only a person of Hope can say YES in an absurd promises. Only a person of Hope can say "I go beyond promises because there I see God. And it is God that I am holding on to not just the content of His promise."
Hope is real when found in God.
And so, what is the foundation of hope?
Faith in God.
A person who does not have faith in God will not have real hope because the object of hope is God.
A person who has deep faith in God will not loose his/her focus on God no matter what happens.
Let Jesus be our example, let us learn to his sacrifice and self giving by hoping and trusting to the will of the father even if the cost is his own life.
"Let Your will be done, not mine"
God Loves You.
Ash
