My Hope

“All our activities and energies are spent for things that pass away. We gather, we hoard, we cling to our things, only to leave them all behind for who knows who. And now, God, I’m left with one conclusion: my only hope is to hope in you alone!” (Psalm 39:6-7 TPT)

 

According to the dictionary, hope is defined as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. We commonly use phrases such as: 

I hope you get that promotion. 

I hope and pray that you get well soon. 

We hope you have fun on your vacation. 

 

Hope is often reduced to wishful thinking. We want things to turn out according to our will. Our happiness is conditional on a trouble-free life of ease. Could there be more to hope than the desire for our wishes to come true? 

 

“Hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without full closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our satisfaction is now at another level, and our Source is beyond ourselves.” —Richard Rohr

 

We spend our energy on activities that give us what we desire. We gather, we hoard, we cling--only to realize that all of our pleasures, accomplishments, and assets are temporary. We wait for resolution and closure to all our concerns. Hope is more than this. It is patient trust. It is a willingness to surrender. It is a refusal to take back that which has been consecrated. Hope is the satisfaction that comes from complete dependence on a Source beyond ourselves.