Hope that Does Not Disappoint

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you today that we have made it through another day. It has not been easy, but we are grateful to be here on March 19^th with another opportunity to pray, to praise, to worship, to help someone, and to be in your presence. Remind us today of the things that are going right, the things of which there is cause for joy, or at least not despair. In your strong name, we pray, Amen.

Scripture: Romans 5:2b-5

We exult in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only this but let us also exult while we are in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵ and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Message:

            Paul encourages us from the book of Romans to practice exulting in the hope we have in the glory of God. He is not asking us to call the tribulations good, therefore worthy of being exulted in, (honored, glorified, boasted about); but that the glory of God of which and in which we have hope is worthy of praise, honor, glory, and exultation. Likewise, we exult in what can be the outcomes of going through tribulation, namely, building up perseverance, proven character, and more…hope.

            As a young Christian, I believed that I should look for tribulation, chase tribulation even, as a way to get to the outcomes of perseverance, character, and hope. This, I have learned, is wrong. God doesn’t ask us to seek out crisis. Crisis is a built-in part of living in a broken world. This is why Jesus says, “In this world, you will have trials also called tribulations or trouble” (John 16:33). No, it is because trouble is built into the lives we live that we must use them as opportunities to practice perseverance, leading to character, leading to increased hope.

The kind of hope that is bolstered by the fact that it has gone through the test of tribulation is the type of hope that cannot disappoint. Hope doesn’t disappoint because the hope is centered in the one who doesn’t disappoint not in our expectations of the way life should be, or in our human sense of justice.

            We have all seen and felt the effects of trouble. We know what it’s like to feel the weight of tribulations on us like a weighty cross. We can choose to bear the full weight of these crosses, or we can choose to let Jesus carry some of the weight, allowing us to move through the tribulation to those attributes that make us better able to bear some of the weight the next time.

Our ability to “weather” storms is not just necessary for our personal health. It is not necessary for itself, just to be able to build up an ability to go through trials and tribulations in ways that build us up. The ability to weather storms is necessary for our children, grandchildren, nieces/nephews, spouses, and the communities beyond our families.

            Children, in particular, learn how to deal with crises by watching us deal with crises. As an example, I remember clearly the ways my mother and father weathered being treated poorly as Black people trying to get ahead in Gary, Indiana. At first, there was anger melded with hurt, but then at some point… I remember at some point…their backs straightening, their chins jutting forward, and the decision to carry on being obvious in their demeanor. I also remember their words of dismissal of those ways of treating them and the re-affirmation of their own innate value. This behavior, process, and outcomes have stuck with me. While this practice might not cover how to handle every trial, the practice has stuck with me and I now offer it to you.

a)         Recognize that you need to and should process the feelings that     

            trouble causes.

b)         Feel what you are feeling when you are feeling it. Rant, rave, kick something

inanimate. Shout, cry, scream.

c)         Contact your support group and be honest. Ask for support. *If you don’t have a support group, this might be a signal to you that you need to invite people to be supportive of you.

d)         Move on to asking is there anything that is beautiful and true (Philippians 4:8)

e)         Remind yourself of who you are and whose you are.

f)         Exult in the hope that you have in Christ. Hope builds hope.

Of course, there are no pat answers or pat techniques. You will have to think about what the kinds of healthy activities make you feel comforted and the language that makes you feel supported. Sometimes being aware of this, is a helpful first step in itself. Lastly, contact your pastors, we want to be in all ways possible a part of your support circle. As we close this devotion, please join me in prayer.

  

Closing Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we place our hope in you. We ask for your help. It is easy in the midst of trials to become so bogged down in the trial that we don’t look for or are unable to see anything that might be beautiful and true. Open our eyes that we may see hope even in the midst of hopelessness. Open our hearts that we might feel love when we feel unloved. Open our ears that we might hear your still small voice, saying “I am here.” We ask all these things in confidence knowing that you hear us and you are quick to answer. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

Pastor Yolanda