Finding Hope - A Geeks of Faith Devotion

It is the beginning of October.  It is breast cancer awareness month.  Not to mention my email, snail mail, and Facebook feed have been full of political adds as November approaches.  So when I looked through my Geeks of Faith devotion suggestions “hope that things will work out” stuck out.

          I am a big Star Wars fan, so in my teen years when I was a lonely, picked on, nerd a book called, “The Force of Star Wars” by Frank Allnutt helped me find the parallels between the hope in the movie and the hope found in scripture.

          As Christians we are a people of hope.  The theme of hope is all through the Bible.  But it isn’t just hope that you get everything you ask for or want.  My mother had breast cancer.  We all prayed and she beat it.  She has been cancer free for several years.  One of my best friends from High School had breast cancer.  We all prayed.  Kira lost her battle with cancer September 30 2016.  That doesn’t mean that we should give up hope.  Bad things happen to good people, and bad people often seem to get away with murder.  It is an age old question.

          Jesus, himself, quoted Psalm 22 on the cross.  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”  At the time it seemed like the bad guys won.  But we know how it ends.  Jesus arose on the third day.  He is alive.  This gives us hope.

          Paul writes about hope in his letter to the Hebrews.  Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

          Paul started out persecuting and executing Christians before his conversion.  Then, he was persecuted, imprisoned, and eventually put to death.  Many of his letters were written from prison.  But he still had hope.  In Romans 8:28 Paul says, “We know that all things work together for good^[a] for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

          All things working together for good, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that we get everything we want or even everything we pray for.  I know that Paul’s churches were praying for his release.  But Paul still counted it all joy because he knew he was staying faithful and that God would have the last word.

          This world is evil.  People are sinful.  Until the second coming this will be true.  Bad things are going to happen.  Good people will be hurt and even die.  Jesus didn’t promise us that if we followed our life would be all perfect and trouble free.  In fact it is quite the opposite.  In John 15:20 Jesus tells his followers, “Servants^[a] are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.”

          What we are promised is that Jesus will be with us.  No matter what happens, we are not alone.  God will have the final say.

          Now that doesn’t mean that we are to sit here and do nothing.  Paul wasn’t randomly put in prison.  He was out actively doing God’s will.  When someone you love gets cancer, yes you should pray.  But it doesn’t hurt to give money to cancer research.

          Now, about all those political adds.  Today it seams that no matter who wins, half of the country is depressed.  That doesn’t mean that you should sit home and do nothing.  Pray about the issues.  Go out and vote!  If you believe the wrong person was elected, don’t give up hope.  Rome persecuted and killed Christians.  Then, the emperor became Christians and they supported the church.  Eventually it fell.  Nations and governments will come and go.  Political parties will go in and out of power.  That is the way of the world we live in.  Keep voting, keep praying, and keep hoping in the knowledge that God is there in the midst of the suffering,

          It is the same with all the things we hope for.  If you hope you get a certain job.  Yes, pray about it, but also do your very best to get it.  Give your best interview.  If you don’t get it, it is not the end of the world.  Get up and try again.  It is the same from everything from illness, to jobs, to politics, even to getting a hotel room in a host hotel at Dragon Con.  Hope but also work toward your goal.

          I am going to end with an example from Star Wars.  Talk about a bad political system that was killing and persecuting the people who didn’t agree.  The Empire had all the power.  They had the numbers.  They had the population cowed, but the rebels persisted.  They had hope.  When Alderan was destroyed and the Death Star was closing in, they had hope.  Their hope (and my interpretation of the force) God helped them get through it and do the impossible. 

          The last movie ended with only enough Rebels to fill the Millennium Falcon, but I have hope that the good guys will win in the end.

          So, keep the faith.  Hold on to that hope.  When the world throws a wrench in your plans, remember that God wants good for you.  Get up and try again.  You are not alone.  God goes with you, and so do your brothers and sisters of faith.  You are not alone.  We are in this together.  There is always hope.