Faith

"Is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what
we cannot see." Hebrews 11: 1

This lovely verse that I have heard a million times looked
at me this morning because it is plastered on the coffee cup
I am currently sipping from.

Such a simple verse. Right?

16 words. Thats all.
Should be...fairly simple to comprehend.

But as I think about this verse, I am amazed by how often
I don't have any faith.

I believe in a God miracle only when its 100% obvious that it
just "couldn't have been a coincidence."
And even then, I often have moments of doubt.

I believe more in the incredible things that people do--
I am amazed by David Copperfield's ability
to make the Statue of Liberty disappear,
or Michael Phelp's ability to win eight gold medals,
or Martin Luther King Jr.'s courage and sacrifice.
These are all things I can see. They do not require faith.
Just eyes. Or ears.

Then, this verse calls us to be certain of what we hope for.

The truth is, this is hard.
Should I be certain of everything I hope for?
Because God knows that I have experienced
dashed hopes, despair, and things turning out
"much different than I had hoped."

The time relationships or friendships ended,
the times I lost a big game, the times I prayed persistently
and it just didn't seem to change anything.

But then, I looked at my concordance in my Bible and found

when the word hope is actually used:

Hope in Him (even Job maintained hope)
In God alone, my hope is from Him...Psalms...
I have put my hope in Your word...Psalms
Who put their hope in His unfailing love....
Hope in heaven....Proverbs
May the God of hope fill you....Romans
Hope in the Spirit....Romans
Resting on the hope of eternal life....Timothy

It never says a single thing about hoping in people,
in circumstances, in the world, in dreams of success.

Maybe this is why being "the God of hope"
doesn't seem so powerful to me. Because my hopes often refer
to wordly hopes, not godly hopes, that have been cast aside
or left me with a feeling of disappointment.

Bluntly put, I hope...in the wrong things. I claim that I don't hope
in the wrong things, but subconsciously, or consciously, I do.

And hoping in the wrong things
has taught me to be uncertain of hope.
Uncertain of God's goodness and provision.
Believing that He will hold out on me or that
He wants to deny me happiness or blessings.

But in reality, these verses say that
God is the God of hope because He gives us hope

Despite wordly disappointments.
Despite circumstances.
Despite evil and godlessness.

He is the only source of actual hope is this world.

He has promised us continued hope and contentment,
peace and joy, if only we rest in Him.

I know that He surrounds me with his love and goodness
each and every moment.
I just choose not to see it.

Today, I feel a renewed sense that
Every good thing on earth comes from the God:
All love, healing, laughter, beauty, and joy.

And even when our circumstances aren't easy,
we may have confident hope in Jesus.