The truth is hope is powerful. Just a me inkling can change a person, a nation, or a world. A hope for freedom. A hope for meaning. A hope for a relationship and life with the one true God. But after that first sprout of hope I feel like faith is the bonds that grow that hope. So in a way, in everyday life hope is strong by itself but it requires the two other attributes mentioned with it in 1 Corinthians 13:13. Without one another there is a missing piece.
Well as I mentioned in my "Radio Silence" post I cut off communication with God for a few weeks. And just when I start it up again it's like "Finally! You're listening to me!" And there...flooded hope. Don't forget hope. Hope. Hope. Hope. Sunday during the High School's Sunday night "Ignition" my friend Justin spoke of hope. Spoke of beating discouragement. What hope means in our lives and what it can look like. He spoke of Nehemiah. How he had hope to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall.
Nehemiah is my hero in a way. He wasn't what you would expect of a man to rebuild a wall. He was a cup bearer. He was in a fairly well off position in all of Persia. He used that position to talk candidly (or as candidly as you can) to the king of Persia. And he placed himself at these burned down destroyed walls. We talked of Nehemiah at New Staff Training when we were learning how to support raise. He was our example. He had a calling. As I have a calling. And he gathered people under this calling to achieve something great. As I am to do with support. Nehemiah said "Let us rise up and build!" and they "strengthened their hands for the good work." Before Justin spoke on Sunday I was feeling discouraged. Discouraged at having weekly kick in the butt meeting with my coach(es). Discouraged that not only do I have friends who want to support me but financially can't but there are faithful friends who are not led to be part of my team. And I respect both. So hearing about hope and about Nehemiah brought hope back into my life. Especially now, reading back over it it says that Nehemiah went down to the wall with a "few men." Not all of my 100+ contacts will join me. Only a few. And I rejoice in those few because they will "strengthen their hands for the good work" with me.
God was probably glad that I finally was paying attention but just paying attention isn't enough for God...ever. So the next day as I was working on my New Testament Survey hope appeared again. This time in the words of Dr. Gary Stanley talking about 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Paul uses the "Coming of the Day of Lord" to inspire the baby Thessalonian church. They were in the middle of persecution and had the faith but needed the hope to continue as they were. So as Dr. Stanley presents it, that was the main reason for Paul to bring that up to this new church multiple times. Dr. Stanley even talked about the same experiment as Justin had talked about the night before where hope was given to mice by giving them relief from swimming and they swam for way longer than those not given a break/hope. Hope is given to inspire and to give us a breather. The Thessalonian needed hope to continue in the time of persecution. The mice/rats in the experiment needed a breather to keep swimming in hopes another break would come along. Everytime I have a person excited to meet with me that is hope. That is a break.
So in the midst of minor God given discouragement there is even more hope around me. I can't dwell on the discouragement. That only breeds more discouragement. Getting into the word is a way to reboot that hope. And sometimes repetition of a theme does the same. Because sometimes just paying attention is enough.
Oh! And to add to it, Dylan just posted a sermon on hope through grace. Have yet to listen to it but I know it'll speak to me. Because it seems we all need to learn a little more about hope.
