HOPE IS THE DESIRE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

by Andy Coombe

What do you want to be better in the future? Your health? A relationship? Finances? Purpose? Career? Family? Church ministry? Community? Something else?

The Brazilian writer and film-maker Fernando Sabino famously said “It’ll be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end”. The good news is he promises everything will be all right. The bad news is… he can’t make it happen.

But we know someone who can make it happen.

When the people of Israel were taken captive by the ruthless Babylonians, they had no hope for a better future. Famously, they sat down by the rivers of Babylon and wept (Psalm 137:1-4).

But into this hopeless situation God speaks: “I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

You can only have hope that isn’t just wishful thinking if someone makes you a promise of a better future, and that person is powerful and loving enough to do it.

The Israelites were in captivity because they messed up. You may have no hope because you’ve messed up.

But Jesus came to bring hope to everyone, especially those who don’t deserve it.

He took our hopeless situation, pinned it to the cross, and offered us resurrection hope. Only Jesus can say with total confidence that it’s going to be all right in the end, because only he is strong and loving enough to guarantee it. He’s gone ahead of us to prepare this new life for us (Rev 21:4).

So what about the difficulties we still face? In God’s amazing way, none of the sufferings we experience now are wasted, because he doesn’t just give us hope that all will be well in our difficulties, but he uses these difficulties to grow the very hope that sustains us, pouring in his love to us by his Holy Spirit (Rom 5:3-5). And this love gives us hope.

I went on holiday to Norfolk this summer, and read Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love. After experiencing God’s love through the Spirit, she exclaims “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”.

In other words, it’ll be all right in the end.