little hopes and Big Hope (Friday Devotional)

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

- Psalm 130:5

Every day I wake up with hopes—lower case ‘h’—for that day. I hope I’ll get all my work done before 5:00, or better yet, 4:30. I hope it won’t be 100 degrees outside. I hope I won’t get any unexpected phone calls or emails with bad news. I hope my kids won’t be cranky when I get home. I hope I’ll get a good night’s sleep.

Every day is made up of little hopes, scattered expectations you want met. But beneath those little hopes, there is always one Hope—capital H—that keeps you going. This is what lifts you up when things are looking bleak, the foundational goal or virtue or destination that undergirds all of your little hopes.

Our world offers many places to find Hope—but they are all eventually found wanting. If you place your Hope in wealth, all it takes is an economic downturn to devastate you. If you place your Hope in power, all it takes is a botched campaign to send you spiraling. If you place your Hope in a person, their failures become your downfall.

Scripture is clear where the Hope of believers is to be found—not in the things of this world, but in the one who brought this world into being and sustains it by His mighty hand. The word of God—not only the written or spoken word, but the Word made flesh—is where we place our ultimate Hope. It is His word, not the slogans of philosophers, politicians, or protesters, that offers ultimate wisdom. It is His word, not technological advances or sociological evolutions, that redeems a broken world. It is His word, not the power of movements or men, that makes something out of nothing.

In this world, hope is easy to find. But if Hope is what you’re looking for, if you want something that never falters, never fades, and never fails, there is only one place to turn. His work is finished, his tomb is empty, his revelation awaits. His is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. He is where Hope is found.