By Pastor RAUL GRANILLOHope.
“Hope is a waking dream.” – Aristotle
“Hope” is one of those terms that we have romanticized and made very ambiguous. That may be the reason we often enjoy quotes like, “Hope is a waking dream.” After all it is mysterious, poetic, and speaks to hope as being something we imagine as possible; while at the same time accepting “hope” as something easily lost as we begin to awaken to reality.
For too many, the romantic notion of hope has left them cynical in a world where darkness pours into a lit restaurant, music hall, or even an elementary school. Hope seems to flee the single mother of four who turns off her phone to hide from the wolves. Hope was a childhood story to the addict who sees no way out. For too many, hope is not a waking dream, it is naivety to the nightmare.
God offers a hope that is different from anything we have experienced on our own, or anything we can imagine. Paul was referencing the prophet when he wrote, “Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’” (Romans 15:12 NIV). In a time when the world seemed to be filled with darkness, this promise was made by God; that from nothing more than a stump of a people, God would rise a king who would save His people and bring hope to the entire world.
Paul was referring to Jesus—God incarnate—offering salvation and eternal life to creation. This hope is different than what we normally think of as hope.
Typically, when we “hope” for something, we acknowledge that it may not take place, but we would really like it to and will choose to think optimistically. This is the common practice of hope. And this common practice of hope, most often, leaves us disappointed. But God’s promises are not likely, they are absolutely certain! That changes hope into something much different than we have experienced.
For that reason Paul also wrote, “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” (Romans 15:13 NIV). Our hope in Christ is not based on optimistic thinking in spite of many possibilities; our hope in Christ is an absolute knowledge that He does love us and that He is all powerful.
The hope of the Christian should be so real that it results in a response of joy and peace in all situations. That hope should also manifest in the sharing of joy and peace through the sharing of hope that comes in the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ.
For the one who accepts the truth of Jesus, hope is not a waking dream; hope is a foundational reality that encourages the believer. It is a real thing that should fill us and overflow into the world that desperately needs real hope. The question then becomes, “How are you bringing real hope into the world?”
To find out more about La Vista Church, or to hear this and other messages, visit our website at www.lavistanaz.org or email me at raul@lavistanaz.org. Follow Pastor Raul on Twitter @RaulGranillo007
Please come join us as we fix our eyes on Jesus. We meet Sundays at 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10 a.m. for worship. Everyone is welcome!
