Hope Floats

Hope Floats

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Ahh . . . February in Michigan. A time for basking in dreams of blue water and summer sunshine, despite the mounds of snow outside. Though icicles hang like sparkling daggers from every roof, the annual boat show reminds us of the inevitability of spring. Sooner or later it will spread like a soft, green carpet over the land, and hibernating Michiganders will emerge sleepy-eyed and hungry for a taste of summer.

After a long, hard winter, it helps to grab hold of any sign that points to winter’s end. For me, it’s the boat show, full of gleaming white yachts and powerboats that remind me of longer, lighter days ahead. Sometimes our lives can feel much like a Michigan winter—cold, dark, and never-ending. In the midst of these seasons, we often feel isolated and alone. Our faith can even seem to hibernate. At such times we need to grab hold of the promises God has made about what our future holds. Promises like these:

There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.

REVELATION 21:4

They will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them.

REVELATION 22:4-5

The Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

REVELATION 7:17

If the fulfillment of God’s promises still seems a long way off, remember the words of Birdee Pruitt, a character in a 1998 film starring Sandra Bullock: “Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will, too.”

Father, help me to give hope a chance to float up by remembering how everything will end, when the old world and all its evils will be gone forever.