The deliveryman of hope
For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope. For which of us hopes for something we see? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. Romans 8 : 24 - 26 (GNB) |
We are told today that it is through hope that God saves us. So what does that really mean? Does it mean that God works through wishful thinking and positive attitudes? Well not really there is a bit more to it than that.
By hope the author isn't talking about some whimsical fantasy. We need to understand that the word hope had a slightly different meaning at the time this passage was written. Then hope was a thing, that was yet to happen, but was a certainty all the same. When we know this we can see that he is talking about a reality that we can be certain of, not just wish for, a reality we just cannot see yet. As he points out it would be crazy to hope for something you already have. Hopes are focused on what is to come.
I am sure at some point you have had to stay waiting for a deliveryman to arrive. You know that they are coming, but you don't know when. You also know what is going to be in the package. However you cannot see it, feel it or benefit from it just yet. At this point you are simply waiting for the safe arrival of your package and waiting patiently.
God knows that being patient does not come easily to any of us. He knows that none of us like having to wait for things. That is why he has sent his spirit to help us. To keep our hope alive and strengthen us into being patience masters.
So this week you might be waiting for the deliveryman of life to arrive, but that is OK. Remember the value of hope and patience, and know that when he does arrive it will have been worth the wait. Have a great week.
This weeks song is Never Once by Matt Redman |
Header image by: Craig Sunter via Flickr