There’s a genuine shortage of hope in this world, and its absence is notable in quite a few conversations. That shouldn’t be a surprise among people who don’t know the hope of the gospel, but it’s true even among those of us who say we believe. Our comments on the headlines of the day, our concerns about personal issues, and even our prayer requests among friends can sound awfully depressing. We claim hope but then speak hopelessly.
Imagine God in the room. Would his contributions to the conversation sound hopeless? Of course not; he has a solution for every conceivable situation. If we want to be like him, we’ll need to speak expectantly into the circumstances of life. We’ll need to be the voice of hope even when every other voice is discouraging.
That isn’t easy. Expressing hope can feel as futile as swimming against the undertow. But we have to refuse to be drawn into those depressing currents. It makes no sense for us to conform to the image of God in actions but not in attitude. He is relentlessly positive and never without hope. If our desire is to be in sync with him, our attitude will have to flavored with ample doses of his confidence about the direction of his kingdom.
