What is hope! Well one definition of “hope” is the promise for a future. A second definition is a Biblical hope: the anticipation of a favorable outcome under God’s guidance.
My favorite football team is the Washington Redskins, who have lost 10 or more consecutive seasons. With each losing season, it’s harder to hope that the next season can be redeemed for them. The owner, Brother Daniel Snyder, has made changes yearly. But they haven’t resulted in a victory or a Superbowl win!
Talking with my coworkers, I joked that he merely wants a different outcome, but he can’t guarantee it. “Hope is a strategy,” my friend said.
That’s true in football. But in our spiritual lives, cultivating hope in God is not one of several possible strategies. Clinging to Him in faith and trust is the only strategy.
This world often disappoints us. But hope can anchor us in God’s truth and power during the poor and homeless times. Especially when it comes to giving and receiving donations or helping put my homelessness to an end.
Micah understood this reality. He was heartbroken by how Israel had turned away from God. “What misery is mine! The faithful have been swept from the land or the cities, not one upright person remains.” (Micah 7:1- 2) But then he focused on his true hope. “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.: (Micah 7:7)
What does it take to maintain hope in homeless and poor times? It takes hopefulness when times are hopeless. When our circumstances are overwhelming, in those moments, clinging to and acting in response to our hope in God is the only strategy that will help us overcome homeless sin.
Father, God, you’ve promised to be an anchor for our heart and our mind and our body and strength when circumstances look discouraging. Help us call out to you in faith and hope, believing that you hear our cries. Amen.
