The Language Of Hope

The Language of Hope

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

THE LANGUAGE OF COMPLAINT is in vogue. The people who are considered most insightful are those who criticize. The people who come across as most discerning are those who express cynicism and skepticism about everyone and everything. The people who are most “real” are those who readily point out how bad things are and how victimized they feel. And while there’s nothing wrong with being honest about feelings, the point of immersing ourselves in biblical truth is to rise above those perspectives and see the big picture. Negativity may be trending, but it isn’t helpful. And it certainly isn’t how God thinks.

A Kingdom mind is hopeful because it aligns with God. God is not wringing his hands over any situation on earth and wondering how he’ll manage it. There is no problem that has him stumped, no lack that exceeds his resources, no mistake so far out of bounds that it’s irredeemable. While many of God’s people focus on whatever God hasn’t done yet, God is focused on what he has promised and what he plans to do. He sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 41:26; 46:10), and it never leaves him scratching his head. He is filled with hope because he sees the future and knows his goodness will reign. That’s hope. And the God of hope will fill us with it as we believe.

Human nature gravitates toward the glass-half-empty, or even the glass-only-one-percent-empty. We tend to focus on the problem areas of our lives, and our words follow. But fallen human nature does not cultivate a fertile environment for prayer and faith. The Spirit who overflows in our hearts does. He fills us with joy and peace in believing because we were designed for such things. Learn to speak his language—words of hope—regardless of what your natural eyes see, and you will grow in the trust that empowers meaningful, earthmoving conversations with God.

Our life is grounded in faith, with hope and love besides.