The name of this blog comes from a line in the Two Towers movie (I'm not sure if it's in the original book by J.R.R. Tolkien). In the midst of all hopelessness and the appearance that all was lost, Arwen says to her father, Elrond, "there is still hope". It's one of those moments that was added in to give Liv Tyler more screen time, and to fill in the back story to what she was doing while Aragorn was off on his quest. But I've found that line cropping up in my mind many times over the last few years.
There is still hope, even when all hope seems lost.
There is still hope in the face of despair.
Darkness cannot shut out all hope.
This is our experience in the Lord. Our Father will never fail us. Even at the worst possible moments, He is there.
Bill Johnson defines hope as "the joyful anticipation of good". He says that this isn't wishful thinking but a feeling similar to a child looking forward to Christmas Day. He also says that any area where we don't experience this kind of hopeful anticipation is under the influence of a lie.
That was a bit of a shocker to me, when I think of ALL the areas where having any kind of hope seems laughable and unrealistic. I know God will redeem. I know He is good. But hope in the midst of tragedy? That's another thing.
"Joyful anticipation of good". Hmmmmm. I am hopeful that I will have joy in my life again, one day. I anticipate that the Lord will bring good out of this because that is what He does. God never desires evil for His children and he definitely never inflicts suffering on us. That's not God.
As I look back, there have been many turns in the road, many disappointments and even tragedies. There are in all of our lives. That's nothing new. But how do we keep hope in our hearts when there is death, relationship breakdown, divorce, adultery, murder, theft, earthquakes, suicide, war, and on and on. So often in the non-Christian world, God takes the rap for all of these things. The problem of pain and evil is never going to be solved by one post in my blog. But hope, how do I, how do WE, keep hope in our hearts in the face of ... it all.
I don't have an answer. I know the right answer, but that doesn't make it an easy one. Faith is believing in the unseen.
I was reading a post from A Slice of Infinity written by Danielle DuRant of Ravi Zacharias Ministries:
Whether in the wilderness in the dead of night or the seeming no-place of grief, compromise, or rebellion, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob declares that He is “the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). God longs that we would surrender, like Jacob, for God desires to lead us home. And as we recognize this gracious presence and goodness, fear and wonder give way to worship, an overflow of awe and gratitude that cannot be contained: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Gen 28:16)
Hope does not disappoint us (Is 49:23)
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 1 Corinthians 1:21-23
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