Without hope the soul dies. To be a ‘hopeless’ person is the worst possible state. But there are two ways of losing hope. One way is to see nothing beyond the present to look forward to; no light at the end of the tunnel. Revelation 21-22 depicts the light at the end of the dark tunnel of world history. We have a glorious future to look forward to. But there is another way of losing hope. We also become hopeless when we become so comfortable in this life that we don’t look forward to the next at all. We who live in relative luxury in the ‘developed world’ are most in danger of this kind of hopelessness. We are in danger of being anaesthetised into spiritless docility like the inhabitants of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Huxley depicts a dystopian world in which people are kept in bondage by constant pleasure. We must remember that this world is a hostile zone to our faith and we are on mission. We are like a platoon of soldiers dropped by helicopter into a battle zone with a very specific mission to fulfil, after which we will be picked up again. We must not get sidetracked. We’re not here to make ourselves at home. There is joy in the mission and enjoyment on the way, but it is nevertheless a serious business with a vital purpose. If we forget the plan, we get lost and we will miss our pickup. That’s a truly hopeless situation. Whatever your occupation, ensure that Jesus’ mission is your preoccupation. Hold on to hope.
Ask God to reawaken your hope.
Read Romans 8:18-30.
