The thrill of hope, you know that thrill right? As I’m writing, it’s close to Christmas and the first thing that comes to mind begins in early childhood right around Christmas time. Remember going to bed and hoping that Santa would bring you the “thing” that you thought was the most excellent thing ever? For each of us I’m sure it would be different.
For me, one year, as a little girl, it was Tiny Thumbelina. I could just imagine holding that little baby doll and it MOVED and wiggled. I went to sleep giddy with excitement and filled with hope that Santa would deliver that doll for me all the way from the North Pole! Yes! The thrill of hope.
Then came adolescence and the thrill of hope could suddenly burst on the scene with the promise of a snow day! Oh Yeah! Here in the deep south, schools close, loaf bread and milk fly off the grocery shelves and you get to stay home and play in the snow and drink hot chocolate. Oh and it wasn’t just any kind of powdered-out-of-a-packet hot chocolate, it was Mama put the pan on the stove and heated the milk and put real sugar and Hershey’s cocoa powder until it was hot and steamy. Then she poured it into mugs and put little teeny marshmallows on top. I can literally remember hoping for snow days with fingers crossed on both hands. The thrill of hope.
Oh the next phase, painful though it could be, produced the most intense thrill of hope yet. Yes, you guessed it and probably experienced it, your first crush and that thrill when somebody told somebody who told somebody that he liked you too. Could it be true that the most dreamy boy in the whole class school would like you? Do you remember writing his name on all your notebooks and pulling the petals off of flowers “he loves me, he loves me not”? The thrill of hope.
Then suddenly adulthood is upon you and your feelings loom large as you finally do meet “the one” and the thrill of hope when you realize that person really cares for you and he pops the question and the thrill of the wedding and then real life kicks in and we hope we can find the right house in the right neighborhood and hope that we can pay the bills and hope we can get along with our families and hope that you get passed the first few months of actually living with that person your were so gaga over.
The hope you feel as you walk out of the office where you interviewed for the job of a lifetime and it went really well and you are thrilled at the prospect of living the dream and never having to worry about money again.
Ultimately for some odd reason as most people mature, the biggest thrill of all is hoping to have a baby and then you take that test. IT”S POSITIVE! Then you hope that you have a healthy baby and that it’s just perfect. The thrill of hope.
Sooner or later though, the thrill wears off and a realization hits you that none of these have any lasting impact and can become anything but hopeful and even worse can be mundane, ordinary and begin to feel like chains. I mean, do you honestly want to play with that Thumbelina doll now or whatever your “can’t live without” toy was at the time? Snow Days are a drudge with traffic accidents and power outages. Mr. Seventh grade dream boy is now balding and has a pudge, the dream job ended up stealing years of your time and attention and you blinked and the kids were grown with kids of their own. Dare I say it that this kind of hope eventually will end in disappointment.
As a matter of fact life can sometimes be so harsh and hurtful that you don’t know how you will survive. But as Christians, we have a different kind of hope don’t we? I trust that you have not forgotten this.
What is it that you are now hoping for? Salvation for a loved one? Healing from sickness? Peace in your home? Maybe you have been too afraid to even hope because you dread the possibility of disappointment if you were to hope again. Or regrettably , you cannot even remember the last time you had hope, because your heart has been so broken.
When we experience disappointment in life, it can be easy to lose hope. Your spouse decides after twenty years that he no longer wants to be married to you and has found someone younger that makes him feel young and vibrant again; your child is forever disabled in a car wreck and you don’t even know how to face today much less tomorrow; that baby’s heart stopped beating that you were carrying in your womb; life hurts.
Scripture tells us that the pain of a hope deferred can feel like heartbreak. Yet, in His word, God also promises to fill us with hope. How can we be filled with hope in the face of a hopeless situation? I spent years in a situation that would have hobbled most people’s ability to walk in hope, yet I did because God’s mercies are new each morning and so is His hope.
You see, God never abandons me or you. His plans for the lives of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose are good and glorious. When that person walks out of your life, when the job you wanted fell through, or when the dream you had died, God has not forgotten you or me. The truth is, even in the face of disappointment, we have a hope that never disappoints.
'Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5 NASB
Let God restore your hope today. No situation is hopeless, because God Himself is our hope. If you are afraid to hope again or are weary in the waiting, I challenge you to put your hope in Christ. I promise when you do, you will find a hope that does not disappoint.
His word is true and it cannot be otherwise. Look at all that God has already brought you through. Isn’t He MORE to you than He was during your first trial. If not, then you’re still walking around in a desert that you don’t have to be stuck in.
Step into his promises. They are true and cannot be changed because God does not change.
Here are just a few of God’s promises that will step you into that “hope that does not disappoint”.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 37:23 The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Philippians 4:6-9 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (this is not speaking of physical healing) James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
These are just a few and every one of them is absolute and true.
The Thrill of Hope
I hope this Christmas when you hear “Oh Holy Night” that you will be reminded of the promises of God in this - the ultimate promise fulfilled.
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