CR5 Issue 175 January 2020

Live in Hope
Hope, like love, is one of those words that is
overused and undervalued. Its impact has
been lessened as it has become a filler in
everyday speech and, perhaps, familiarity has
bred contempt. I hope you are all sitting
comfortably: though do I? Not that I wish you,
dear reader, to sit in discomfort or indeed to
stand to attention whilst reading. However,
I can hardly say I given much thought to the
matter nor do I have much invested in the
outcome.
Hopes can be raised and dashed. One can live
in hope or consider it a hopeless case. So,
what is hope? Well I am not going to try and
provide a comprehensive etymology on its
meaning or social history on its use; but what
I can do is consider its power, and what the
Bible says it looks like.
If it is merely a wish or desire that lacks any
expectation then hope is powerless and
ineffectual. I can hope for all sorts of things
that are impossible or highly unlikely and
rather than being helpful, it is likely to lead to
disappointment and frustration. Appealing
to hope if misplaced has the opposite effect
as one might expect. This all sounds rather
miserable; however, hope has the capacity
to energise people to do remarkable things,
face incredible odds, and survive in extreme
circumstances. It is powerful and can have a
real and lasting impact. So what is the key to
hope which does not disappoint?
Well the Bible says the answer is faith.
In the book of Hebrews we read “Now
faith is confidence in what we hope for and
assurance about what we do not see.” Hope
and faith work hand in hand. Hope operates
where we do not know the outcome but we
have confidence that it will be good – usually
this is because we know and trust the people
or powers that have some control over what
is to happen. It is the trust that accompanies
hope which gives hope its power.
In the Bible passage the context is hoping for
God’s plan to restore and mend the damaged
relationship between himself and us. If we
know that God is good and just and he has
called us to trust him; then our hope is certain.
As we start this new year there may be many
things you are hoping for – perhaps look at
what or who you are able to trust to turn
weak hope into something more certain.
Have a great month.
Peter Russell
Prayer for Coulsdon & Old Coulsdon exists to
encourage Christians to pray for all aspects
of our community. Our informal meetings
last for one hour and if you are interested in
joining us you will be most welcome:
Monday 13th – 9am at 56 Bradmore Way,
Coulsdon
Tuesday 28th – 8pm at 2 Keats Way, Cane Hill,
Coulsdon
64 Log into www.cr5.co.uk your local community website!