Hope (2)

INTRO

For many of us, hope is a fuzzy concept that often gets mistaken with a fleeting wish or casual desire. Phrases like, “I hope you have a great day!” or “I hope this works!”, commonly appear in our everyday conversations.

But what if I told you that Hope is something you could practice, a spiritual discipline that change your perspective on the world around you and impact the way you live your life?

CAVEAT

Important to note that this isn’t some spiritualized repackaging of the The Power of Positive Thinking.

https://www.uspm.com/practice-the-power-of-positive-thinking/

It’s not something that you can generate within yourself or through yourself.

In fact, Hope is Relational and

Hope without Relationship is just wishful thinking. A self-centered band-aid that relies on psychological conditioning

Hope assumes a few

It’s a trust that leads to confidence that, despite the situation, God is acting on behalf of his people. Hope acknowledges the present circumstances and views them through the filter of God’s past faithfulness. Even when his action is not evident, when we don’t know how he is working things out for our good, we can look into our past and remember how he has lovingly comforted, rescued, and guided us along the way. Reflecting on these times is an act of worship. It provides us with a foundation of hope that God is present, here and now, working on our behalf. And, if God has been faithful in the past, is faithful here and now, we can trust that he will also be powerfully at work in the years to come.