Thoughts for the Day

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The word 'Hope' is a very special word! The dictionary defines 'Hope' as 'Wishing for a particular event that one considers possible'. But we can't hope to win millions on the lottery if we've never even bought a ticket! To be hopeful we need to have invested some emotion in something even when life is at its lowest ebb, and when the darkness seems to surround us. As Desmond Tutu said: "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness".

Our world seems very dark at present, and when we turn on our tv's or social media we are overwhelmed with negative things - the war in Ukraine, the dangers of AI, mindless stabbings, and the cost of living crisis, etc. But as Christians we can hope for a better future where God's values are supreme. We can wait with patience, making a difference in dozens of small ways to improve things close to us. However, we can also pray. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, that the Holy Spirit is there to turn our longings into words and He intercedes for us when we meet situations that are beyond us. Note that we Christians are the 'saints' with a small 's'!

Martin Luther King once said of hope: "Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars". So keep hoping, and keep praying! Never give up!

God of all hope,
when life seems at its darkest,
help us to see the light ahead.
When all seems lost and we cannot
see the goodness in our world,
give us eyes to see what is positive.
When hope seems gone
help us to remember that it is then
that You lift us up
and interpret our longings.
Amen.