I don't know where you are this morning, but here in Indianapolis, there's something going on…. IT'S ACTUALLY SUNNY!!! That's right – the sky is…. BLUE!! Praise, praise praise!
Now, just because the sun is shining doesn't mean it's warm. Actually, it's so cold the ground is still frozen, and you may be surprised to discover that makes me super happy. If you have dogs, you are nodding in agreement because you know that frozen ground = no mud. Why am I bringing this up?
Because y'all, sunny days like this remind me of the hope that I have - hope that summer IS COMING!
This morning I was reading in Ephesians. Verse 18 says this:
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the HOPE to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for those who believe.
Here's the gig about the kind of hope that Paul is talking about. It's not the kind of hope that we think of when we say things like –
"I hope it doesn't rain."
"I hope my dogs don't get in the pond today."
"I hope UK wins the NCAA Championship again."
That kind of hope is merely wishful thinking. Maybe it won't rain, maybe it will. Maybe my dogs won't get in the pond, but let's be honest, they probably will. And maybe UK will take home the 2020 title, and maybe I won't have a nervous breakdown during March Madness like I do every year. Could it happen? Sure. Is it guaranteed? Of course not.
So, what is Paul talking about? Is Paul just wishful thinking? Quite the opposite, actually.
Biblical hope is an entirely different thing than mere wishful thinking. Biblical hope can be defined like this:
Confident and joyful expectation.
See, here's the deal. With Biblical hope, there is no 'maybe,' because it's a SURE thing.
Back to where I started. Sunshine on cold mornings like today reminds me of the hope I have that summer is coming. It's not a maybe, it's a sure thing. I don't know exactly when, but I do know that it WILL happen.
As followers of Christ, we have hope in many, many things. God's Word is His promise. If He said it, we don't have to settle for a maybe. Everything begins to change when we view everything from the perspective that Jesus Christ IS our hope.
I don't know what that does for you, but it has the same effect on me that sunshine in the winter has – it makes me want to holler, "PRAISE!!"
Happy Sunny Friday, y'all!