ALL THINGS NEW

Dear Friends,
In the wonderfully uplifting book, ALL THINGS NEW: HEAVEN, EARTH, AND THE RESTORATION OF EVERYTHING YOU LOVE, John Eldredge writes about “Protecting Hope.” Not all hopes are created equal.” Eldredge writes. “There are casual hopes, precious hopes, and ultimate hopes. Hoping that rain won’t spoil a planned picnic or that your favorite team will win a big game is a casual hope. Eldredge explains, “It’s human nature to have these kinds of hopes. Hope shows your heart is still alive.”

I’m not sure Christians have any special advantage when it comes to “casual” hopes. When USC defeats UCLA in a big game, it isn’t because the USC fans prayed harder—it’s that their team played harder. When that light you hoped would turn green turns green, that probably wasn’t God’s timing but the timing of the traffic engineer who programmed the lights.

“Precious” hopes are deeper—concerning topics that have longer range impact on our physical or mental well-being. Hoping that an MRI will be negative, that your spouse or a child will stop drinking, or that you will be able to cope with the rising costs of healthcare are “precious” hopes. When Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I believe he was speaking to the heart of those with “precious” hopes.

We read in James, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16b (NLT).

Like the Psalmist, we proclaim, “We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20

A friend just lost his third sister. I find the sentiment found on the Dayspring card we sent him quite comforting:

“Prayer in times of loss is more than reaching up to God and Him reaching down. It’s Him sitting next to us, putting His arms around us, listening to every word, and holding us tightly through our tears.”

Sometimes when our “precious” hopes are dashed, like Jesus, we may cry out the words from the Psalm: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” Psalm 22:1 (NIV)

” Friends may offer the words of Romans 8:28 to comfort us: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. But the immediate pain caused by the loss of a “precious” hope may make us wonder how anyone could find good in what happened.

We might find the answer to that question in what Eldredge calls “ultimate” hope: “The confident anticipation that goodness is coming. A rock-solid expectation, something we can build our lives on. Not delicate and fragile hopes most people are trying to get by with.”

Eldredge writes, “How we feel about our future has enormous consequences for our hearts now.” He quotes a Jewish Rabbi who said, “It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to have hope.”

Hope depends on faith.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

Do you have a “rock-solid” confidence that something good is coming? If not, I encourage you to get a copy of ALL THINGS NEW. John Eldredge does a wonderful job laying out what faith in Jesus means — not just in your day-to-day experience of this life, but in the life to come.

Verse for the Week
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 6:19-20a

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ