By Heather Ford Lark

Hope against hope?

We all need hope, that feeling and attitude of expectation, optimism, sometimes wishful thinking, perhaps expecting good outcomes.

But many times our hope can be disappointed when people and things let us down.

Many of us who live in Stokenchurch are saddened by the state of the hotel that once graced the neighbourhood. But last week I was walking by, and within the ashes, I noticed a flower growing – and that was a sign of hope for the future to me. Even when things look very bad, new life and purpose is possible.

As we are still in the Easter season, I’ve been reflecting on how the followers of Jesus felt after he
died, and before they knew he had risen again. They felt pretty hopeless – whatever was going to
happen next? Would they too be killed? Were those years spent with him worthwhile, if Jesus’ death was to be the end of it?

How bewildering it was when they came to the tomb early on that Easter morning and found only his grave clothes and that he himself was gone! Had his body been stolen, quietly removed? Where was he? What did this mean?

Then we read of two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus later that day, very dejected, wondering what would become of them all now.

And then Jesus appeared, and their lives were transformed by hope. A hope rooted in the certainty that Jesus had fulfilled His promise to rise again from the dead, that everything he had said was really true.

Christian hope is a bit different from hoping for the best, hoping against hope, crossing our fingers that something will happen – or will not happen.

It is a confidence that what God’s promises he will fulfil. Rather than depending on external circumstances, Christian hope can be steady because it is anchored in God’s unchanging nature and His Word, the Bible.

I like the metaphor of an anchor – I remember a sailing weekend I was part of several years ago. Although we started out in calm waters, the winds quite quickly rose, tossing us around and meaning all hands were needed on deck to keep the sails flattened and adjusted in the right direction. When we stopped for the night, it was the anchor, firmly embedded in the seabed that kept us from drifting off course. We bobbed around a lot, but we stayed firmly enough where we needed to be.

As Hebrews 6:19 puts it, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” This anchor keeps Christians steady amid life’s storms, offering a perspective beyond the present moment. Hope is about trusting in God’s ultimate plan, even when life’s circumstances are challenging and even when we can’t see what lies ahead.

The late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had hope. His hope for racial equality and justice was deeply rooted in his faith. He once said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” His Christian hope fuelled his courage and determination in the face of oppression and his declaration can encourage us to acknowledge and accept setbacks while maintaining faith in a brighter future, especially one where we choose to have God within it.

The following is the “Hope Poem” by James Keller which can also encourage and inspire us:

Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst
Hope opens doors when despair closes them
Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot
Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of humankind
Hope “lights a candle” instead of cursing the darkness
Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities
Hope pushes ahead where it would be easy to quit
Hope puts up with modest gains, realising “the longest journey starts with just one step”
Hope accepts misunderstanding as the price for serving the greater good of others
Hope is a good looser because it has the driving assurance of final victory.

Let’s not lose hope, whatever is happening in our lives.