Right now, most people feel uncertain about almost everything. A few people claim they are certain about everything, but in reality, they are just as uncertain as the rest. We don’t know what we will do tomorrow. We don’t know what others will do tomorrow. In many ways, we don’t even know what God will do tomorrow. It all adds up to a lot of uncertainty.
And yet, we feel a strong need to get our bearings. We want some stability and hope in this life. But where do we find it?
The only way to experience real stability in this life, is by hoping in the actual promises of God. In times of trouble, people cling to what they’re told belongs to them. We think a lot about our rights and privileges and possessions. But none of these things are certain. We feel strongly about them. We have systems in place to help us keep them. Yet we know they are not certain. That’s why we fret about them. We grasp after them. We desperately work to keep them. Such fretting and grasping is futile, because we don’t have enough control to make our treasures in this life certain.
The only way to have assurance that our hopes will come true or last, is to hope in the actual promises of God. We must ask, what has God actually promised me. Only His promises can last. Only He can assure us of them.
Yesterday, Pastor Isaac preached a helpful message from Hebrews 11:1-3. Most of us have heard the first verse, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” What an interesting question for us to consider. How can we have assurance that our hopes will come true? How can we have assurance of things we can’t even see? Assurance only comes by grounding our hopes in the actual promises of God. That means, we must know what God has promised and what God has not promised. And this knowledge allows us to focus on what is real and what will last.
Has God promised us:
– Imunity from sickness?
– Wealth beyond our peers?
– Rights determined by our government?
– Fair treatment by others?
– Godly authorities to lead us in all areas of life?
– Happy marriages?
– Obedient children?
These items represent a much longer list of hopes many people expect in life. But the ultimate question remains: Has God promised these to us? While they are wonderful hopes (with a little “h”), they make poor Hopes (with a big “h”). “Little h” hopes include things we’d like to see happen, but are not guaranteed. Big H hopes are actual promises, guaranteed by God. If our focus gets hung up on “little h” hopes, disappointments will surge. But if we limit our expectations of “little h” and maximize our expectation of “big h” hopes, assurance and peace and composure will characterize us. Wouldn’t that be great?! — if the calm assurance of peace accompanied us through these uncertain days? It’s possible…if we hope in the actual promises of God.
On what expectations and hopes are you focused today?
Are you biggest hopes and expectations clearly promised by God?
How do you need to switch around your expectations, so you can be assured of your hopes?