Biblical Hope

Does it ever seem just too much? Does it seem the world has gone crazy; economically, politically, with floods and oil spills? If we are honest don’t we just want to scream out enough!

I have recently been reading a book called Engaging God’s World by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. and there is a chapter on longing and hoping. What I am getting from this is that as broken humans we will view things with a self centered bias; we can’t help it. And what we truly need is to view things with a Christ centered lens. Only then can we truly trust and hope.

In this book, Plantinga calls this hope, Biblical hope and says; “Biblical hope has a wide angle lens. It takes in whole nations and peoples. It brings into focus the entire created order – wolves and lambs, mountains, plains, rivers and valleys. When it is widest and longest, Biblical hope looks forward toward a whole “new heaven and new earth,” in which death, and mourning, and pain will have passed away (Rev 21:1,4), and in which the Son of god receives the treasures of nations who parade into the city of God (Rev 21:22-26).”

That really puts hope into perspective for me! My hope is too small and too scattered and as believers who trust in our God there is the greatest hope. So as believers, no matter what is going on in this world, we can trust that our sovereign God is on His throne overseeing all things. We can find peace and comfort and strength and hope. We just need corrective lenses to truly see and God loves us so much he has supplied just that lens in his word.

So as things build up, may we all turn to scriptures to bring our worldview into focus. That brings to mind Psalm 25:5 which says; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Abba Father, we pray for great hope in troubling times, we pray for gospel peace and gospel strength and gospel encouragement for all your people. We pray for those facing uncertainty from things such as floods and leaks and war and illness and economic turmoil praying for the greatest hope of all – Eternity with You! Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace