Hope

Hope for the World

There are many voices in the wind. Messages of hope abound today. They promise the solution to our troubles or the prospect of a coming Utopia where troubles will cease. Amidst the cacophony of noisy heralds one may get confused. It is always wise to check the credentials of the one making the promise. Hucksters and charlatans are a dime a dozen! No doubt, we are aware of schemers that have preyed on desperate folk, and use troubled times as an arena for selfish gain. We may have actually succumbed to the mirage of false expectation and are victims in recovery bitterly disappointed. Confidence tricksters often emerge in the podium in Washington, in the Pulpit in the chapel, or in the lectern in the classroom. They speak with their silver tongues ala Demosthenes, and their words inspire hope. But can they deliver? What we need is not mere words, not even words that move us but a true voice that is real and can bring about the desired outcome. One who can put ‘his money where his mouth is.’ We long for the individual that will buck the trends and forsake the well-worn paths of empty promise.

One voice among the many is really different. One voice rises far above all others. Indeed, it is a voice we may have heard before. It is a sound from the one that knows us best and loves us the most. Yes, it is a word from God Himself!

‘Come to me,’ he urges. ‘The one who comes to me, I will no wise cast out,’ he assures us. Maybe it is time we returned to Lord God who uttered this warm invitation. It is a general call that is nondiscriminatory. In fact it is universal. We ought to heed the call, and return to the Lord our God. He alone is our true hope!

In the book of Psalms a declaration of God’s final triumph is heard. It is the culmination of God’s redemptive program: ‘All Nations whom you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great, and do wonderful things; you alone are God’ (Psalm 86:9-10).

Why not come to the Lord in faithful submission? Come to him acknowledging your absolute dependence on him. Come and find the reason you were created: to have fellowship and communion with your maker. Find peace for your soul as God grants you forgiveness full and free because of the sacrifice of Christ. Entrust your eternal wellbeing into his hands. They are the only hands that hold the future. They are the only hands that determine all outcomes. In a steadfast walk with God, his promises will be manifest and true. His greatest word of encouragement is simply this: Come ‘seek me and live’ (Amos 5:4). That is true hope. Without God, we will face an hopeless end; with him and endless hope!

Theodore Zachariades

SDG.