Hope
When The Future Feels Uncertain
I’ve noticed that my expectations about the future can change quickly.
A few encouraging words can leave me feeling optimistic about what lies ahead. Then a troubling news report, an unexpected expense, a difficult conversation, or a disappointing diagnosis can quickly change the way I view tomorrow.
We are constantly receiving messages about the future.
The economy tells us whether we should feel secure or anxious.
News reports tell us what we should fear.
Social media exposes us to an endless stream of predictions, opinions, warnings, and promises.
And where do we begin with all the political noise? We are inundated with voices predicting what will happen if the “wrong” people gain influence.
Advertisers promise that something we purchase will make tomorrow better. And the people around us often reinforce either our confidence or our concern.
None of these voices is necessarily insignificant.
Some deserve our attention. Some contain information we need to hear. Others deserve considerably less influence than we give them. But together, they raise an important question:
Who is forming the way I see the future?
This question isn’t simply asking What am I hearing? It is asking:
Who am I allowing to form me?
There is a difference.
The circumstances around us certainly influence how we think about tomorrow. But underneath those circumstances are voices interpreting them for us—telling us what they mean, what we should fear, what we should expect, and where we should place our confidence.
And if we listen long enough, those voices can do more than inform us.
They can begin forming us.
The voices we listen to matter because they influence more than our opinions. Over time, they can begin shaping what we expect from the future.
When the news is encouraging, the economy appears strong, our health is good, and life seems relatively stable, it can be easier to feel hopeful. But when those circumstances change, our sense of hope can change with them.
Perhaps that reveals something important.
What we call hope may sometimes be little more than optimism based on favorable circumstances.
There is nothing wrong with optimism.
As a person inclined to see the glass as half empty rather than full, I need to approach tomorrow expecting something good rather than anticipating disaster around every corner.
I’m also a pragmatist. I want to see things as they really are.
Optimism and biblical hope are not the same thing. Optimism usually looks at the circumstances and says, “I think things are going to get better.” Biblical hope looks beyond the circumstances and asks a different question:
“Who am I trusting with what comes next?”
That doesn’t mean we should ignore reality.
Faith doesn’t require us to pretend that troubling circumstances aren’t troubling. We can listen carefully, pay attention to what is happening around us, and make wise decisions based on the information available to us.
Those voices can help us understand what may be ahead. But they cannot become the foundation of our hope.
If those voices cannot become the foundation of our hope, then what can?
Perhaps the better question is: Who can?
Paul gives us a beautiful answer near the conclusion of his letter to the Romans:
“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.” —Romans 15:13 (ESV)
I find those three words especially encouraging: “the God of hope.”
Paul doesn’t point us toward favorable circumstances. He doesn’t promise that tomorrow will unfold the way we prefer. He directs our attention toward God.
That shift of focus changes the foundation of our hope.
If my hope rests primarily on what I want—or think is going to happen— then my hope will rise and fall as circumstances change. Good news strengthens it. Bad news weakens it. A reassuring prediction makes tomorrow look brighter. A troubling prediction makes tomorrow appear uncertain.
But biblical hope rests somewhere more secure.
It rests in Someone.
The God of hope remains God when the news is encouraging and when it isn’t.
He remains faithful when the economy is strong and when it is uncertain.
He remains present when our health is good and when a diagnosis changes our plans.
He remains trustworthy when we can see a clear path forward and when we cannot.
Hope doesn’t mean we know what tomorrow will bring. It means…
… we know the One in whom we are trusting when tomorrow comes.
Paul’s words in Romans 15:13 sound much like a benediction.
They express his desire for the believers in Rome—and I think they offer an appropriate prayer for us, too.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing…”
Notice what Paul doesn’t say.
He doesn’t tell them to try harder to be hopeful. He points them to the God of hope and expresses his desire that God would fill them with joy and peace as they trust Him.
Perhaps that’s where we need to begin when our future feels uncertain.
Not by trying to predict what tomorrow will bring.
Not by ignoring the circumstances around us.
And not by allowing every voice we hear to determine how we see the future.
But by paying attention to WHO is shaping how we see our future. By asking ourselves:
Who am I listening to?
What is that voice teaching me to expect?
And most importantly:
Am I letting the God of hope shape how I see the future?
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
But we can know the One who will meet us there.
As you move through this week, pay attention to the voices shaping how you see the future. What are you seeing? Who are you hearing? And perhaps most importantly, whom are you trusting?
If this reflection connected with something God is doing in your life, I’d be glad to hear from you.
May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust Him.
May you have a blessed week.
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