Hope against Hope

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)

Hope is a fragile human sentiment in which we expect the fulfillment of our desires. We might hope that our desires for a new job or a high score on a test will be fulfilled. We often hope in people; we hope the doctor will tell us what has been troubling us physically, or that our parents may take us on an exciting summer vacation. We also often hope in objects; we hope that new laws will make us more secure in our persons and in our endeavors, or that our cars will last until we can afford to repair or replace it. We also hope in circumstances, such as when we hope that it will not rain during our planned picnic, or that the economy will improve. And we hope that our children’s future, success, and prosperity will be greater than ours. Hope is a powerful motivator that gives us encouragement and comfort in times of trouble, difficulty, and uncertainty.

There are times, and thankfully they are relatively infrequent for most of us, when our hopes are dashed because of circumstances that are beyond our control, or because our resources are too meager to bring about the desired result, or simply because other people let us down, not following through on promises that they have made to us, which gave rise to our hope. The economic events of the past two years have certainly tested the hopes of many people. Many retirees saw their savings accounts, upon which they hoped to live on, significantly reduce in value. Approximately 15 million workers, or 9.7 percent of the population willing and able to work, were unemployed in March 2010, while only 162,000 non-farm jobs were added to the payroll in the same month. Of the jobs added in March, 48,000 were temporary jobs associated with the census. There are many people and families whose hopes for the future have been stretched to the breaking point. It is difficult to offer a word of encouragement or hope to people in this situation because we recognize that we ourselves are powerless and subject to the same limitations as everyone else. It is difficult to offer comfort and hope, but not impossible. God, through his word and Spirit, does give his people abundant hope in the most trying of circumstances. Let me outline just one example.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells of the hope that Abraham had in the promise that God had made to him.

For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the sight of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be." And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now not for his sake only was it written, that it was reckoned to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:16-25 (ESV)

God made a promise to Abraham that he would be a father, not just of a son, but of many nations. There was only one small problem. Abraham was almost 100 years old and Sarah was about 90 years old when God chose to fulfill the promise of a son to them. That they were old beyond childbearing years is evidenced when God asked Abraham,

“And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." Genesis 18:13-14 (ESV)

Now, I specifically cited this example because it describes the impossibility of Abraham’s physical circumstances over and against the promise of God. If a ninety year old woman were to give birth to a child today, we would consider it most extraordinary news. But, the main issue here is the statement “Is anything too difficult for the LORD?” Our knowledge of what is physically impossible is directly contrasted to the promise that God made. Abraham considered the impossibility of his physical situation as well. Abraham certainly knew of the deadness of his own flesh and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, and he hoped against hope! Abraham hoped in the promise of God, even though his physical condition and that of Sarah gave him no hope.

So, what does all this have to do with your children and our students? As Christians, we hope against all the evidence to the contrary that God will fulfill our promises to our children because we do not hope in the innate ability of ourselves or our children, nor do we hope in the circumstances that they will face. We hope against hope because we hope in the God who made these promises and who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead!

We are engaged in a great and abiding work for the future of our children. We cannot coordinate the circumstances which will make them successful, but God has promised them good. We cannot change the hearts of our children, but God has declared that they belong to him. We cannot make everything okay for our children, but we know the God who works all things for our good.

The Christ-centered education your children receive is intended to help them to become self-consciously aware that God created all things in the physical world out of nothing and sustain his creation by word of his power. With that as our starting point, we educate children to ask the really tough questions about the physical world, and not be intimated by those who begin at some philosophical or scientific point other than the Creator God of the Bible. Establishing that God is the Creator, we educate children to see God as the Redeemer in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who they must trust for their daily vocation, whether as a student or some other endeavor. Having established God as Creator and Redeemer, we educate children to live their lives, in whatever calling they may walk in, as imitators of Christ.

This is tough work, both as a parent and as an educator. But it is one work which will bear much fruit in the lives of our children. Not because of our ability or accomplishments, but because of the God who has promised us success.

We hope against hope, and God will never put us to shame.