“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed….” Romans 4:18
I’m thankful hope is so stubborn. If it wasn’t, I think I’d be a goner. In spite of how many times circumstances tempt me to throw in the towel, I find that entity of hope again popping to the surface and eventually taking over.
Oh, I’ve tried to resist. I’ve let discouraging thoughts smother the “noble, lovely, and praiseworthy.” I’ve listened to the whispers of failure more times than I care to remember. I’ve allowed the voice of disappointment become louder than any painting by Edvard Munch (“The Scream”). But with the predictability of a Hallmark movie, I find that after all my rants and raves, hope stands there quietly waiting. She penetrates my protests with the undeniable assurance that it’s gonna be OK.
It’s a God-thing, of course. Scripture compares hope to an anchor (Hebrews 6:19). It attaches us to what is real. To what is solid. It causes hearts that would otherwise go adrift in life-crushing breakers to dig in to the truth.
Abraham learned this. Although he didn’t start out hoping, he somehow arrived at that place which required him to “hope against hope.” He had been given big promises… promises accompanied by big delays which stretched him, pushed him to the edge, disheartened him. But in spite of all the waffling doubts, he kept hoping until it yielded the indomitable substance we call faith.
It will do the same for us. So go ahead. Give in to the stubbornness of hope.
Thank You, Father for the gift of stubborn hope. For teaching us how to keep hoping when all evidence of hope is gone. May we hold on to hope and let it lead us to unquenchable faith. Amen.
Take Action
Make a list of verses in Scripture that refer to hope. Rehearse them. Pray them. Let the Lord renew you through His Word and ignite the embers of hope.