The Value of Hope
Anxiety. Fear. Depression. Cynicism. Anger. Bitterness. Hopelessness. These are all apt descriptors for our current culture and world.
I have been reading I Samuel during the past few days and was reminded this morning of David’s discouragement toward the end of King Saul’s reign. So discouraged was he that he left his homeland to go over to Israel’s archenemy, the Philistines. (I Samuel 27) So hopeless was he that he thought he would be better off fighting for Israel’s enemy than to fight on behalf of God’s people. Who can blame him, really? He was loyal to Saul while Saul made numerous attempts to murder him. Twice (I Samuel 24:1-7 ; 26:8-12, David spared Saul’s life when he could have easily (and was encouraged to do so) killed him.
It seems to me so many of us believers are in a similar spot as David. We’re anxious and fearful about the times in which we live. Many of us are depressed as we look at the future. Many are cynical and angry about the Church and on a journey of “deconstruction.” For some, this had led to deep bitterness. Others are disappointed in relationships that are either strained or broken. And out of our hopelessness, many of us have taken the path of David and come up with our own way out of the mess. Unfortunately, our lack of trust in God has led to decisions, similar to those of David’s, that take us further away from the Lord.
However, like so many of us have or will be, the Lord brought David to a crisis, one that would reveal how far he had strayed and bring into stark relief his need for the Lord. In the midst of losing family and possessions, David cried out to the Lord and sought his will. It was the beginning of his journey back to hope.
I believe all that we are experiencing in our own time is being allowed by God in order that we might cry out to him in desperation. We are being shaken so that we might let go of the things to which we are clinging as substitutes for trusting in the Lord. It may be politics. Or it may be a church system. It may be going after the things of this world because we have come to believe religious activities no longer have any true meaning. Whatever it is, we find ourselves in the same place as David—no longer fighting for God but against him.
Yet, as David experienced, there is still hope in the midst of the crisis because we have not been abandoned, no matter how much it may seem like it. (II Corinthians 4:8-10) God is still pursuing us, still has purpose for us, still can redeem us. The only thing he asks is that we surrender our lives to him, which sometimes can only happen when we come to the end our own efforts. It is in that “dark night of the soul,” as St. John of the Cross described it, that the light of hope can flicker to life.
On Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, our source of greatest hope. But, like Jesus, we have to die to experience that hope. This is why is it so valuable when things are the darkest. When we reach the end of ourselves, the light of hope can begin to shine and transformation can resume. Our outlook will return to one of hopefulness because we know we can trust the Lord regardless of the circumstances.
© Jim Musser 2024 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.
