Pattern of Hope Fulfilment

UV 2802/10000 Pattern of Hope Fulfilment
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3 v 26
Hope makes improvements, changes, achievements possible. People place hope in a variety of things. Sometimes such hope is misplaced and leads to disappointment and bitterness. Scripture says that it is better to place hope in the Lord than in princes of people. This uni-verse asks us to place our hope in the Lord, in His word, in His promises. The Lord will then do His part- salvation. Salvation is not an end-of-life experience but an everyday experience that extends into the timeless zone of eternity. Once we place our trust in the Lord, we need to learn His word, understand His commands, obey and patiently wait on the Lord with a sense of joy, thanksgiving for blessings received and expectancy of the blessings in the offing. Waiting does not mean being inert but actively seeking the Lord’s presence, His wisdom, His grace, His mercy, His justice and all of His ways as it intersects our own paths at several points.
Hope is a natural byproduct of supernatural faith. It means that it is not faith in our own intelligence, abilities, connections, resources but a belief in the supernatural wisdom, grace and power of the Lord to save us. It is not a vague belief but a specific belief in Christ being the wisdom and power of God to save mankind. This hope in Christ as our Saviour in all real life situations, even as we take all natural precautions that our reason dictates and do all that we need to do by way of due diligence, is the hope of glory of God being revealed.
Quiet waiting indicates that we should be free from worries. Our minds should not be tossed about by doubt, fear or anxiety as we face different situations in life. Joseph waited patiently, trusting that His Lord and God, the God of his forefathers would certainly help him come out of his state of misery, of gross injustice. Every reverse in fortune did not deter him or cause him to take his eyes from the ultimate vision that the Lord would raise him up as a ruler and leader in the world. He had a rough ride to the seat of the Prime Minister of the then super power Egypt but he was buoyed up by the hope he reposed in the Lord. There are few instances in scripture of people of God taking a short cut to greatness, fame, wealth, of meteoric rise overnight but there are enough examples of people taking a “God cut” to the ultimate purpose, role and position that the Lord had in mind for them. A “God cut” is neither long nor short but it prepares the person’s character to fulfil godly responsibility. Often it means years of waiting, years of suffering and endurance, years of hoping as the etches and lines of deep character are sculpted and chiselled by the Spirit in the heart of man.
Prateep V Philip