Dionne Warwick told us back in the sixties
that “what the world needs now is love, sweet love. That’s the only thing that
there’s just too little of.” John Lennon followed that up with a popular
Beatles song that told us that “all you need is love”. While the sentiments of
both songs are profound, I would suggest that love is not ALL we need in these
very trying times.
1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, concludes
with the following words. “
And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His
promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish
love for others growing out of God’s love for us], these three [the choicest
graces]; but the greatest of these is love. (The
Amplified Translation)
We are certainly living in extraordinary
times of many hardships, difficulties, death, and despair. These conditions are
causing all sorts of emotions - anger, fear, disbelief and discouragement and
even hopelessness.
So - not to minimize even a tiny bit the importance
and urgent need for love, sweet love - I suggest that what the world needs now,
as well, is hope. We all need to believe that tomorrow will be a better day and that some kind normalcy will
soon return.
Romans 8:24 and 25 says “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope at
all, for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do
not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it”. Our hope is well rooted
in certainly and assurance.
Faith and hope work together hand in hand. We
can have hope because we have faith in the sure word of God and have conviction
that His every word is Yea and Amen If God says something will
happen – it will – His promises are Yea and Amen without possibility of anything interfering with its being
fulfilled. His promises will be fulfilled - It is not a matter of if but a matter of when.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace as you trust in
Him, so that you may overflow with hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit”.
What the world is sorely lacking right now is hope. People have lost sight of any stability in life that there used to be. People have lost sight of the power of God to fulfill His promises.
What the world needs now is hope. Make no
mistake - Hope is not a lost entity. Hope is still only a prayer away. A
prayer that God will rekindle our faith and hope by the power of His spirit.
Norman Vincent Peale wrote the following:
Here are some of the truest, most beautiful
words ever written: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within
me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God”
(Psalm 42:5).
Hope is a small word, but it is one of the
most powerful. Why? Because in hope lies the power of the human soul to turn to
God and live, knowing that His promises are going to come true. “Be strong and
take heart, all you who hope in the LORD” (Psalm 31:24).
The key to surviving any challenge or crisis
is hope. Hope that God is, right now, working out a solution for you. Hope that
the future you place in His hands will be better than the present that you hold
in your own. “’For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’”
(Jeremiah 29:11).
Practice this hope, even if you have to will
yourself to do it. With its power, you will overcome all things. “Those who
hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”
(Isaiah 40:31).
And hope, that strong and confident
assurance, rooted in the faithfulness and love of God, that we keep deep down
in our hearts gives us strength and perseverance though all circumstances of
life. Hope is our private quiet comforter. Without hope we can become
complacent and not able to give our best to God and to the people around us.
Yes, the past couple of years certainly have
been filled with difficult times and change, but remember – ALL things happen
for a reason. God does not do things randomly. AND All things happen for good
to those who love Him. We may not know why all things are happening and it
really doesn’t matter why. But we can use the conditions that we live in now to
– increase our faith, show love to all people and find comfort and hope in
God’s immeasurable love and faithfulness.
“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your
future.” – Robert H. Schuller
May God bless you.
Rich Leavitt
