For the past three summers, Laurel and our children have planted tomatoes and cucumbers on the side of our home that gets the best sun. They take care to position those plants in the best possible place for growth. Not only have I been astounded by how massive cucumbers can grow, but I’ve also learned that Jurassic-sized cucumbers don’t taste good.
Seeing those plants thriving and recognizing their need for the right environment - one that includes not just sun and good soil but also necessary structure in place - has had me thinking a lot about hope.
How do we grow in hope?
At its most basic, hope is what gets us out of bed in the morning. It’s what keeps us going when life leaves us tempted to shut down. I love the definition that my friend, Pastor Gene Pace, has crafted after years of studying God’s Word and facing the struggles of life - “Hope is joyful and confident anticipation and expectation of good occurring.” As believers, it is our confident expectation that our good and faithful God will now and forever be true to His Word. All He has promised will come to pass.
A powerful passage where hope shows up is Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Let’s look at the two kinds of hope the Apostle Paul describes:
THE HOPE OF SALVATION
The first mention of hope we see in this passage is the hope that is ours because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. We were once enemies of God, but Jesus has reconciled us to Him, covering all of our sins - past, present, and future. The hope of heaven now awaits all who place their trust in Him.
THE HOPE FOUND IN SUFFERING
Another way that hope becomes ours is found in the latter part of this passage - through suffering. No one finds suffering enjoyable. Nor are we to be those who seek suffering out. But when it comes our way, and it will, we can know that God is able to use it in powerful ways. Suffering produces endurance, which results in character, which grows in us an unshakeable hope. It’s a lot like building muscle. You cannot actually build muscle. When you go to the gym and work hard, you are tearing your muscles down through exercise. God, through how He designed your body, is the one who then builds your muscles back bigger and stronger than before. You simply put your body in the best position to do what God already programmed it to do. In the same way, you cannot fake or manufacture hope. But when hard times require perseverance from you, and you experience the faithfulness of God in that season, your hope is built up. It multiplies and abounds because of Him.
Which leads us to a few questions to ponder.
What if those painful circumstances or difficult relationships that feel like they are tearing you apart can actually be used by God to build you up? What if your trials are meant to grow your hope, not rob you of it? What are you going to believe right now - your emotions telling you all is lost, or Jesus’ finished work on the cross?
For all you are facing that feels like more than you can possibly bear, let me say how sorry I am that this is part of your journey. But let me also say that I am trusting in the goodness of God with you. Some of the most hope-filled believers I know are people who have walked through some of the most devastating struggles, yet end up more deeply rooted in Him. I have always believed that those who serve the Lord best are those who walk with a limp. Surround yourself with people like that - people who have been through hell but have come out on the other side, not bitter or cynical or jaded, but more confident in the hope of heaven. Wake up each morning and position yourself in front of the Son. Keep worshipping Him. Keep studying and clinging to His Word. And if you find yourself in a place of suffering, trust that He can use it to cause your hope to grow.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
