What is hope? As a friend, how can we offer another hope? Better yet, what can our friends or any of us do to find hope? Where do we turn when tomorrow offers no happy promises?
Some turn to vices like smoking or drinking in times of stress. Others turn to religion. I decided to see exactly how many Christians there are in the United States and was kinda surprised at how high the number was: 173,402 of 216,367 surveyed by the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) in 2008. So this survey shows there is a high number of Christians in the United States. If this is true, then why do we still look for help and hope?
According to Wikipedia, "hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best".
This was also the topic in today's sermon at our church. The pastor tells us to turn to Psalm 103: 1-14. In the middle of trouble, acknowledging God’s role in our lives can redirect our thinking from the hurts of our hearts and force us to dwell instead on the greatness of our God. In Psalm 103, David lists reasons to turn our attention to God, who gives us many benefits: He forgives us, heals us, redeems us, crowns us with love and compassion, satisfies our desires, and renews us. David reminds us that God provides justice and righteousness, and He is gracious and loving. Therefore by praising God's greatness, we put hope in our troubled hearts.
While personally I turn to my faith, I find hope in my own religious belief system and that hope is not always what we might want to hear or accept.
So what do I say to friends who ask us to help them? Be there. Comfort them. Pray for them. Let them talk and let them hope that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. After all, hope is an individual feeling.
