It has been said, and rightly so, that the one thing humans cannot live without is hope. Because we cannot live without it, we will always find something in which to place our hope, even when it is the wrong thing.
The people of Israel placed their hopes and dreams on
something that could not bear that freight. They trusted in their kings as if
Saul, David and Solomon could usher in the fulfilment of God’s promises. But
they were just men. They couldn’t keep their promises to God individually any
more than the people could collectively. They were human, and they failed.
All the buildings they constructed eventually fell. All the
borders they secured were eventually overrun. All the economic strength and all
the glory eventually faded, leaving crushed hopes and dreams behind. Saul
unified the people. David subdued their enemies. Solomon built the Temple. But
none of them fulfilled God’s greatest dream, to build a community of people
rightly related to Himself and rightly relating to one another to such a degree
that their presence would be a blessing to the entire world.
God wanted His people to be magnetic, to draw others into
fellowship with themselves and with Him. Instead, they couldn’t even get along
with each other. Rather than learning from YHWH how to use the influence they
had been given by Him, they used their power to protect themselves, to
manipulate others and to further their own selfish ambitions. They did this
even at the cost of healthy relationships with others. They did this even when
it meant compromising their core beliefs, values and practices, violating their
covenant promises to the God who had used His power for their benefit.
They wanted to claim the promise of God, that they would be
the most influential nation on earth. Sounds noble and great. But they
attempted to claim God’s promise by violating their own promises to Him. They
trusted in human power and ingenuity rather than relying on the One who had
gotten them this far in the first place.
They found out the hard way what happens when you trust a
person to accomplish what only God can.
Our trust is terribly misplaced when it is put in the hands
of a human being or a program conceived of human initiative or a building
constructed by human hands. None of these things are bad or evil in themselves,
but none of these things will ever fulfil our deepest longings. We will always
find ourselves let down, disappointed and discouraged by the things of this
earth.
Only God is strong enough to bear the full weight of our
deepest desires, hopes and dreams.
When our trust is appropriately placed, we find an amazing
quality of life that is unavailable otherwise. As we allow Jesus to be the fulfilment
of our deepest longings and desires, by placing Him at the centre of all of our
activities, everything we do is not only infused with meaning and purpose, but
has the potential to allow us (finally!) participation with God in bringing
about the fulfilment of His greatest dream.
The kingdom was divided, but it will one day be reunited.
That’s what God is doing even now. By embedding our story within His, we are
allowed to participate with Him in the greatest adventure of all. That’s what
it really means to keep hope alive.
Loving God, You have called us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You are preparing
an inheritance for us that will never be corrupted or fade away. Why then do I
keep slipping into the blunder of putting my hope in other things? Deliver me
from the futility of misplaced hopes that ultimately die. Teach me in
experience the wisdom of hoping only in Your unchanging character and the
promises You have made that flow out of Your perfections. I do not want to hope
in the uncertainties of people, possessions or position, because all of these
can change and disappoint. Instead, I choose to hope in You and pray that I
will grow in the knowledge, love and trust of You. Then I will experience the
security and satisfaction that come from growing conformity to Christ.
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