Hope - the great stabilizer of our souls

One of my first jobs after college was my dream job. I had been hired by a large international ministry where the opportunities seemed endless, and the friendships I established were of the best kind. The first few years were breathtaking and splendid, but over time, I began to notice a deep discouragement creeping up in my soul. A series of events began to rob me of my happiness. The work environment became toxic and drug my soul down. Hope was drained and I seemed to be performing my day-to-day duties on just fumes.

One day in particular I felt I had been unjustly reprimanded by my boss, which seemed to have become a regular event. I felt trapped, hopeless and filled with despair, even angry. I have never felt so miserable. When I returned home that evening, I walked into my bedroom and saw a note scribbled on a torn fragment of a sticky note laying on my pillow with just a reference to a verse of Scripture. It had been written by my mom, who was aware of the depths of discouragement my heart had sunk.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I realized that the passage was part of a letter to the Jews exiled in Babylon, but at that point in my life, it may as well had been addressed personally to me. I soaked it in, along with the surrounding verses. It was like gasoline had been poured onto a little flicker of flame that was immediately rekindled into a bonfire. My hope was renewed, and my weariness was turned into vision. 

It was truly a God-sent message me, for the future days only got worse, and I eventually was left with no other option but to resign. But despair didn’t return. Hope stabilized me and anchored my soul in the will and ways of God.

What I discovered and continue to learn is that hope is the great stabilizer of our soul when we see the glory of God’s gracious thoughts for us. His thoughts are seen in various ways: God supplying our needs; the fact that we are no longer under condemnation, or that even when under discipline (not divine spankings for wrong-doing, but rather divine preparation for future opportunities), it’s all motivated out of his love for us. 

The greater our hope grows, the clearer God’s glorious attributes appear to us. The Scriptures show us where to look and how to see his glory; and to neglect that wonderful resource not only diminishes the strength of hope, but drains our faith as well. Such neglect makes us spiritually blind. 

As Romans 5:2 states; “...we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” We are thrilled in our experience with God’s glory. I believe that the word “hope” captures the essence of all our spiritual desires. In other words, hope is the action of waiting, and when our hope is expressed as spiritual desires, it makes it worth the wait. This helps us understand why we wait for the return of Jesus Christ our “blessed hope.”

II Corinthians 4:16-18 – So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.