Where is Your Hope?

Do you feel discouraged when you watch the news? Do you look around at the values and philosophies of our culture and wonder how we got here? Do you long for something better? So do I.

When God allows me to hear the same message from different sources, I want to be especially careful to listen and see what God has for me. I once attended a three-day women’s conference  in which the topic was “Resurrection Life in a World of Suffering," based on the book of I Peter. Imagine worshiping and studying this book with 7,200 women from across the United States and around the world. It was incredible! 

At the same time, my husband felt led by the Lord to go through the book of I Peter in our Sunday school class. As we studied it in church, I heard the same truths I heard at the conferenceand the book found deeper root in my heart.

Right at the start of the book, Peter names his audience. The Greek word can be translated into exiles (ESV), strangers (KJV), aliens (NASB), or foreigners (NLT). It is the idea of a sojourner, who is temporarily dwelling in a foreign country far from home. This word carries with it the connotation of not fitting in, of being different, and not belonging.  And though God’s people were often physical exiles, as in Egypt and Babylon in the Old Testament, in a greater sense, they were spiritual exiles.  Peter wanted to remind his readers that the world was not their true home, nor their place of belonging.  And this admonition of Peter’s is just as true for us today almost 2,000 years later.

Peter was not the only one who spoke this truth. In Hebrews 11:14-16, the unnamed author tells us that God’s people of the past acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth, and that their hope was not in the world they knew, but in a better country, a heavenly one that they looked toward in faith. For the believers of Hebrews 11, it was not an untested hope; they faced great persecution and still clung to this hope in an unseen future. Suffering is also a key theme of I Peter; this word shows up in various forms fifteen times! Living as exiles in a foreign world where we don’t fit in, especially in times of persecution, brings suffering.

Yet another key theme, and what Peter consistently calls us to throughout the letter is hope, the same hope we saw in the lives of the Hebrews 11 believers. Peter tell us that we have a living hope that because Christ was raised from the dead, we too will be raised, and we have an inheritance ready to be revealed in the last time (1:3-4). As we long for that day, we are to set our hope fully on what is to come when Christ is revealed (1:13, 21). That means we do not place any of our hope in this world, as we are often tempted to do, hoping, for example, partially in God and partially in our government. Hope in our future reality should pervade our lives, even in trials, so that the unbelieving world takes note and asks where our unshakable hope comes from (3:15).

Though the news is depressing, though our culture finds joy and entertainment in what the Bible calls sin, though the political situation in our country looks dismal, we, as sojourners in this world, have hope, because our hope is in none of these things. Our hope rests in something far greater than this temporary time and place. It rests in the promise of an unchanging, eternal God who is preparing for us our true home, where we will no longer be foreigners but know true belonging. Do others see that hope in us?

I want to leave you with a few quotes from the conference I attended, because others are far better with words than I am.

-- “God has known you deeply forever. We do not have to create our identity on our own. We are not lost orphans, but God’s children heading home.”   “We are named and we are placed by God Himself. Through Him, our exile is lit up with hope.” (Kathleen Nielson)

-- “As Christians, we must embrace our strangeness in this world.”  “We are far from home, but we are not far from Him.” “We’re people on mission to glorify God in a strange land.” (Mary Wilson)

-- “Peter calls us repeatedly to live in a way that does not make sense in this world. It only makes sense when there is an unshakable belief and hope in another world.” (John Piper)

--Amy O'Rear

Keep Praying

Let me tell you a little story about answered prayer.

One day last week, I had a meeting at the library on Broad Street in the middle of the afternoon. Parking can be a problem, but I know there are some good spots right there across Broad in front of the library. So I sort of casually asked God if I could get a spot there. I came down the block, and lo and behold, there was an open space.  I circled to get a better angle.

While I was waiting at a light, I took off my rings and put them into my lap to rub a little lotion on my dry hands.  The light changed, I turned right, got into the parking space successfully, got out of the car, fed the meter, and went to wait on a bench in front of the library, as I was a few minutes early. I sat there reading a book our dear Maylou Holladay recommended (Middlemarch by George Eliot) until everyone else arrived for the meeting. As I stood to meet my friend, I realized I didn't have my rings on, and immediately--with that sinking feeling one gets--knew that I had forgotten they were in my lap when I got out of the car. 

"I have lost my rings. I need to go check my car and the street," I quickly explained. Well, you know I prayed as I waited for the walk signal, I prayed as  I ran to my car, and I prayed standing there scanning the street.  I'll spare you the suspense, and tell you that I found both my wedding band and my engagement ring right away--incredible!--right there on Broad Street and found the other little gold ring I had been wearing on my right hand when I came back to feed the meter forty-five minutes later.

On the way home, I reflected on God's goodness to give me that parking space and then to allow me to find my rings. It was a wonderful reminder of His care for even the small things in life. But what about the big things? I confess that I felt a bitterness creeping into my thanksgiving because of the really "big" prayers I've offered up for months and years. What about those things? Who cares, really, about rings? They are not eternal souls. It was a little bit of a crisis as I drove along. I had no answers.

But on Sunday morning, we heard a wonderful testimony of a huge answer to prayer, and I was reminded to keep on offering prayers for eternal souls. Over and over I've heard to not give up in prayer. Luke 18 relates the story of the unjust judge who granted a woman's request because she refused to take "no" for an answer. This story illustrates the truth that we "ought always to pray and not to faint."

I don't understand how prayer works and why some prayers are answered right away and others are delayed. But I do understand that I "ought always to pray and not to faint." I can follow instructions, and by faith I will keep going to God for the big as well as the small needs I see. I am grateful He can handle all of them.

--Sherry Poff

Water

Before Mother’s Day this year, I told all of my family that “I do not want presents this year.  I want your presence.” Guess what? It worked! It was wonderful!  My children, teen granddaughters, and my married grands with our great-grands came by to stay a while. My daughter gave me such a special card that, in fact, it is still sitting out!  I didn’t mind that my son David and his family brought me a beautiful hanging plant of huge, pink impatiens.

We have had so much rain on and off here in Cincinnati that I have hardly had to water my flowers. But...oops! This week I looked out - those beautiful, pink blossoms were totally drooping their heads low - I mean low!!! I hurried and watered them thoroughly and am so glad they are pretty again.

That plant made me think of “water,” which led me to a subject for a blog...the water of the Word of God and why it is so vital to our existence as Christians.

It cleanses us; it makes us fragrant, alive, useful, and encouraging to others...just as those beautiful pink flowers are to me as I see them through our front window.

We definitely want our seat-mates on a plane to have “been cleansed” before boarding. Our lives will definitely be more pleasant to others and to the Lord if we, as in Ephesians 5:26, have been “cleansed with the washing of water by the Word.”

In Psalm 119, just about every verse teaches us something about God’s Word.

            Have a Difficult decision or choice to make?

²⁴ Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.”

Overwhelmed with sorrow or burdens?

²⁸ My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your Word.

Want to be an encouragement, to be “fragrant”?

                        ⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your Word.

           

Dealing with temptation? ²⁹ Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me Your law.

           

Need a good topic of conversation? ¹⁷¹ May my lips overflow with praise...¹⁷² May my tongue sing of Your Word, for all Your commands are righteous.

Those beautiful flowers bring joy to my heart. The Psalmist states that God’s Word, the “water of the Word,” ought to give us joy:

            ¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.    

--Maylou Holladay

What Would You Do?

A while back I felt compelled by the Lord to change banks, because our bank’sadministrators did not support biblical teachings. This bank had taken a stand against Christian values, and to me, it felt like a slap in God’s face. I was offended, because God is my Father. Would I tolerate someone slapping my earthly father? Would I give them money? What a hassle to change banks, but as I said, I felt compelled.

Recently, we had to make another decision similar to this one. We had a little money we wanted to put into a CD. Our new bank had CDs to purchase but for a lesser interest rate than other banks that had questionable values. These banks could probably double our earnings. What to do?

How important is it to do business with those who honor God? Does it really matter? What if a person cannot find a business that shares his or her values? As image bearers, unbelievers have the ability to develop great businesses. They too contribute to society in a valuable way. I asked the Lord about this, and this is what He gave me:

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your wealth (my emphasis), with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Matthew 6:33, “Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” says this, “A person who has the promise of God’s provision, does not have to cling to things.”

There are many things that could be said about these verses, but I’ll just point out a little of what is there. God asks us to put Him first and trust Him even when things don’t make sense. We can ask for guidance and then obey, leaving the outcome to Him. Why? Because He is good. He’s on our side! We can stop clutching our wealth! It’s exhausting!

I can testify that God has greatly blessed my husband and me when we put Him first with the money and possessions in which He has entrusted us. (We are but stewards.) It is not always in ways we expect, but He is faithful.

joyce hague