Our Great Pursuit

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31)


What is the greatest desire in your life right now?  We all have desires that we believe are beyond our own human reach.  We call them a dream, or perhaps the possibility of the impossible happening.  It may be the desire to see a loved one come to faith in Christ, or a physical healing for yourself or someone else, or for a difficult situation to be resolved.  Maybe your desire is for something material, a special thing you want to achieve, or a special relationship. What you desire may not be what I desire, and what I desire may not appeal to your fancy, but there is one thing we all have in common in our desires.  That one thing is hope.  Hope that our desires will turn into realities.  In fact, I would say that hope is something every individual pursues.  Most of the things we spend our time, focus, and effort in, are fueled by hope.  We hope people will like us.  We hope our situation gets better.  We hope we like our new job.  And because we just don’t think we can take being disappointed again, we place our hope in something we think is a sure thing; in something we think will deliver what we want; in something we think will be better than what we placed our hope in previously.  I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that everyone who reads this is hoping for something.
 
So why do we hope so much?  What are we really seeking with our hope?  I believe we are seeking peace of mind, meaning, purpose, direction, maybe even a reason to go on.  Maybe our hope is in the ability to get through a difficult situation we find too hard to handle.  Maybe we’re hoping in something that will give us joy in the daylight and restful sleep in the moonlight. 
 
So are we asking too much when we seek hope?  Is real hope possible, or is it just a silly illusion?  The answer to those questions rests in the direction of our hope.  What we place our hope in needs to be totally dependable, reliable, and capable of definitely delivering.  The only place to find that kind of hope is not in a thing, but in the person of Jesus Christ.  Here is what we need to understand.  Every hope from every human heart is really a cry for life.  People and situations can make life easier.  Achievement can temporarily satisfy life.  Love can lift our spirits in life.  But the hope that gives us fullness in our life can only come from Jesus Christ.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life.”
 
Put your hope in whatever floats your boat.  Hope for the best, the most, the greatest; but if you want real life, your hope can only be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and here’s why –   God has given us that capacity to hope, knowing that only he can fill it.  Perhaps that is why we pursue hope so intently.
   
                                                                                                          Darlene