HOPE

​Hope is a word that is used quite often in the political arena. Everyone believes that their agenda is an agenda of hope. But hope comes from God. If your agenda is not authorized by God, inspired by God, or vetted by God, then it is not an agenda of hope.

The question we must ask when we speak of hope is, "What does hope desire of me." Hope always requires a commitment from us. We can never have merely an expectation of hope without being surrendered to the idea of giving of ourselves whatever hope desires. So when we speak of hope, we also must acknowledge the concomitant requirement--that we give hope. Hope always exists as a twin, and he or she who hopes also must give hope.

Whether or not we understand or wish to acknowledge it, all of humanity exists in holes of different sizes and shapes. One person's "hole" may be a sick child, and for another it may be a pending divorce, illness, financial difficulty, or spiritual emptiness. Every hole is different and manifests differently. 

Some holes have a false foundation that leads the occupant to believe that his hole is relatively shallow and that he can effortlessly climb out of it at any time. So he remains comfortable with the status quo and relatively unconcerned. But at any moment, the false foundation will collapse to reveal that the hole is far deeper than the occupant imagined. Others know that their hole is deep and that it is impossible to climb out of it without assistance. So they turn to the Lord their God for assistance. 

God wants his creation to know that when they hear the cry, call or moan of someone in need, they are hearing what God hears. God is allowing them to hear what he hears because he knows that they have the power, the capacity, and/or the desire to answer that cry, call or moan. God knows that he can answer only through the hearts of others. When their heart responds, it is as though God responded. If their heart is unmoved, it is as though God is cold and unresponsive to our needs. God answers only through the hearts of others. God wants his creation to have his heart, and to be perfect as he is perfect. He wants them to do what they would want done to and for them. That is what hope desires.