August 2020

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him. Romans 4:18

“If you are a human being, you hope. You attach your security, your sense of peace and rest to something every day. The question is not whether you hope, but what holds your hope. We all place our hope in someone or something, and we ask that person or that thing to deliver something to us. What are you placing your hope in right now?” One of the things we do in Jamaica is to pray for those of you back in the US. We realize that everyone has troubles and trials and we want to be faithful to lift many of you up in prayer each week. 

Did you realize that “your hope shapes the way you live? Your hope causes you to make the decisions that you make. A lack of hope causes you to feel stuck and de-motivated. Confident hope makes you decisive and courageous. Wobbly hope makes you timid and indecisive. Hope is not just something you do with your brain. You always live your hope in some way.”

 It seems throughout our lives we often think if I could just have this or if this person would just love me or if God would allow this or that then I would be content. We hope for so many things only to often be disappointed. Our spouse can’t make us happy and neither will our job make us content. We look to our possessions or our friends or our physical health and fitness to give us peace or inner security. At NACH we find one of the biggest things we fight against is the boys’ desire for material things. They indeed have so little and they often think God placed us here to fulfill their wish list. We become their hope. Things become their god. Most children find themselves wanting things. I know I did as a child so in that sense these boys are no different. But we are trying to teach them that no matter how many things they get it will ultimately only make them happy and content for a moment. I say to them almost daily that even if they had everything their hearts could desire it wouldn’t be long before they wanted more. We are often the same way. It is because the things of this world will never fully satisfy us. 

“When our hopes disappoint us, it is a sign that we’ve put our hopes in the wrong things. Hope in God is sure hope. When you hope in the Lord, you not only hope in the One who created and controls the universe, but also in One who is glorious in grace and abounding in love. Now, that’s hope that is well placed and will never disappoint.”

I started thinking about what does it actually mean to hope in the Lord? I think really doing it could transform the way we live. If I put my hope in the Lord it means worry does not overcome me. It means I am not anxious because I know he has “got this.” Let me stop and say right here that putting our hope in Him doesn’t always mean everything is going to turn out like I think or want it to. I say this often to Jennifer when she reminds me that God is in control. I say but what if He wants us to go through a time of tribulation? What if the path only gets harder? And He doesn’t promise ease or comfort or even safety but He does promise to be there with us. He promises to bring about His purposes even in the midst of the tough times. Our only hope remains in Him. 

How can we pray for you today? What or who are you putting your hope in?

For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? Romans 8:24

(All quotes are from Paul Tripp)