I’ve heard it said that he who has the most hope has the
most influence. That is a powerful statement. I’m convinced people long for
hope. It is in our DNA. Whether it’s our favorite sports team, our 401(k), or
our career, we will put our hope in
something. Yet, it’s clear to me that hope is at an all time low in our nation.
The tentacles of fear and anxiety have found a home in the hearts of the masses
and their influence seems to be increasing daily.
Something powerful happens when we understand God’s
intention for our lives. When we understand what God intends to do in our life
we can position our self in such a way that His intention is realized. The
Bible is good at revealing to us God’s good intentions for our life. It
actually has quite a bit to say on the subject of hope. One of my favorites is
Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill
you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy
Spirit you may abound in hope.” Now go back and re-read that verse. Did you
catch it? God’s intention is not simply that we would have hope—it’s that we
would abound in hope. Big difference.
That little word abound is loaded. It
means to exist in large quantity or amount. In other words, God’s intention is
that hope would exist in large quantity or amount in our lives. Now that’s good
news! The only problem is lots of believers aren’t experiencing this. Why? I
believe it is because hope is something that has to be fought for, something
that must be cultivated.
Song of Songs 2:15 says, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards.”
I believe this verse holds a powerful key that has the potential to unlock
massive amounts of hope in our lives. The question is what are foxes? Besides
being small, fury woodland creatures, I believe they are the things we encounter
on a daily basis that have the potential to steal our hope. For some of you
that could be high gas prices, for some of you it’s a difficult relationship
with a co-worker, and for others maybe it’s your finances, or lack of. All of
these things have the potential to steal our hope—if we let them. And that’s
just it. The key to walking in hope is learning how to cultivate it. We have to
position our lives so that our hearts are fertile soil for hope. At the end of
the day, practically walking this out is going to look different for everyone.
Here are a few suggestions:
-
Don’t watch the news
-
Take inventory of what things specifically make
you anxious and ask God for creative ways to address them
-
Spend some time with your family or friends and
make a list of all of the things you have to be thankful for
-
Intentionally celebrate even the smallest
testimonies of God’s goodness or provision in your life
Every good gardener knows that gardens require special care
and attention. It’s no different for us. The seeds that are sown into our
hearts will produce fruit either for the good or bad. So, what are you allowing
to be sown into your heart? Remember, he who has the most hope has the most
influence.
