A CANDLE OF HOPE

"I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." Jeremiah 29:11

A friend was working on a writing assignment that involved a trip to Columbia, South America, to research the underground world of drugs. It was a difficult and frightening experience, and when he came back to the United States to write the story, the darkness seemed to have followed him home. During our prayer time in Sunday worship, his wife would request prayers for him, asking that we hold him in the light of  Jesus, who is the light of the world. One day when he went out to get his mail, he found a candle in his mailbox. It was a turning point in his work; he knew there was a special light all around him - people who cared for him. He found hope to complete an important project. 

"I know the plans I have for you, to give you a future with hope." Often God works in unassuming human deeds. Our sense of hope in the future may not come with lightning bolts or grand plans. 

It may be as simple as a candle in the mailbox, or it may come in countless other ways: an unexpected call from a friend just after we have received bac news from a doctor; an offer of help in organizing a letter-writing campaign to protect the environment; a parent who holds on to the bike again and again until a child can master the two-wheeler. It may be a word or a hug, a letter or community protest - but we see the possibilities in the future, and we are filled with hope.

Hope is one of God's great works. It comes as a gift. It is not something that we earn. It comes through the actions of others, but it also comes more mysteriously, as a whisper in the night, a dawning clarity of direction, or a sudden burst of confidence. God is looking out for the welfare of all creation, hope is given to people in all times and places, in all situations and circumstances. Though we may wonder how long it will take for the "future of hope" to come about, we are not to doubt the outcome. "I know the plans I have for you a future with hope." As friends in an  African-American church once told me, "God may not come when you want, but God always comes on time." 

The promise of Jeremiah finds a resting place deep inside us, reminding us that God is still at work in and through us and the people around us. God is working for good in our lives; he is especially at work in the midst of anyone who is struggling to find food, shelter, and basic human rights. Patience and persistence are often companions of hope. God takes a long view of history, and he faithfully works to bring in the new reign of peace and freedom. We are never alone in our hope for a new day. 

We hope not just in ourselves or own resources, though such confidence in our God-given gifts is an important factor, but we hope in God. He is a God who sends rainbows after rain, joy out of sorrow, and turns Good Friday deaths into Easter resurrections. God promises a future with hope, and God is with us now with plans, patience, and persistence. He is working to bring in a glorious future for all the people of the earth. 

Quote :

Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things, the weather, human relationships, the economy, the political situation, and so on, will get better. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God's promises to us in a way that leads us to true freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands.