Faith is the foundation for our hope, but hope is the bulwark of our faith.

Even after his retirement, our late founder Dr. John DeBrine couldn’t escape the patterns that had been set in place for the preceding 50 years he spent fundraising. At the end of the year, he would call the office daily, even several times a day to get a report on our financial situation. 

Now, there was never a guarantee that our ministry would be able to make it out of the bleak winter months, but there were also no guarantees that our ministry would fail. In fact, for the 59 years that Songtime has been in operation, there have been 59 possibilities that we could close down. Would you like to guess how many of those times we have overcome the odds? Roughly 100%. 

During the holiday season, I was reflecting on all of the bad habits I had formed amidst the stress of this annual crisis. In an effort to save my fingernails and prevent the inevitable ulcers, I decided to approach this end of the year differently. I wasn’t going to give any of my energy to imagining the worst. I wouldn’t allow myself to focus on all of the negative potential outcomes. Instead, I decided to be intentional at cultivating a spirit of hope. Here is what I am learning. 

A Definition of Hope

I’ll be honest: I had preached on the subject of faith, hope, and love a number of times, but looking back on my notes, I noticed that I spent a considerably disproportionate amount of time on the former and the latter while neglecting the center. We tend to talk a lot about faith and emphasize love, but we don’t give enough time providing a biblical definition to hope. And if we do, it just comes across as having a vague similarity to faith. 

Hope is about expectation. It is always future oriented. Our daily lives depend on a positive outlook. Without hope, we wouldn’t get out of bed or leave the house. We anticipate that our day is going to go well, until it doesn’t. The crushing blow of life’s unforeseen challenges is what robs us of our hope. 

But biblical hope is not conditional to our circumstances. More than simply having an optimistic viewpoint, our hope is built on a foundation of certainty. Our expectation is based on the character and promises of God. He has never failed us. He will not disappoint us. Therefore, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). 

The Anatomy of Hope

I want to paint a visual picture in your mind. Think of the anatomy of a tree. There are three major parts. The roots, the trunk, and the foliage. Now, imagine with me that the roots are an analogy for faith. They work unseen to search out the nutrients for the rest of the tree. On the other end, you have the foliage. At this point, it should be obvious that this represents the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, etc. In between, we have the trunk and the branches. The core of the tree is anchored by the roots and supports the fruit. It is a testament to strength and perseverance as it grows stronger through the various seasons of life. 

I find this to be a beautiful expression of our hope. Our confident expectation of what God will do is what gives us strength in our tumultuous world. When we are buffeted by various trials, our faith grows deeper and our hope is strengthened, providing a greater bounty for the fruit of the Spirit.  

The reason our earthly hope is so easily shattered is because it is not based on a secure foundation. It is a stick in the mud. When the winds blow and the waters rise it is tossed to and fro. In order to have a solid hope, it needs to be grounded. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). 

Faith is the foundation for our hope, but hope is the bulwark of our faith. It is fully exposed to the elements, yet it does not waver because it is deeply rooted. If we were to cut a cross section through a tree, it would tell us a story. We would see the years of growth with each ring. Some would be thicker than others, but each passing season would provide a stronger fortification. 

A Lesson of Hope

After spending all of last year in the Gospel of Matthew, one particular lesson has stuck with me like a string wrapped around my finger. Jesus said that He was going to build His Church and the gates of hell would not be able to prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). To illustrate this point, Jesus feeds the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21). How are the two stories related?

Jesus has already told His disciples to seek first the Kingdom of God and not worry about where they were going to find bread. God feeds the birds of the air and the clothes the lilies of the field. They don’t toil or stress because they are doing exactly what God created them to do. Therefore, we ought to be about advancing the Kingdom of God and not worry about where our next meal is going to come from (Matthew 6:25-34).

Jesus feeds the five thousand and later the four thousand as a living illustration of how God provides for those who are fully devoted to doing His will. Jesus demonstrated this in His own life and ministry by willingly giving Himself up to be crucified, knowing that it was the Father’s will and that He would be exalted to the right hand of the throne of God.. 

If we are expending all of our energy worrying about bread, or worse, building our own kingdoms on shifting sand, we will not possess true biblical hope. The only thing we can be certain of is that this world will pass away. But those who have committed themselves to the advancement of the Kingdom of God can be confident that all of their needs will be met by our loving heavenly Father. Furthermore, we should all have real world experiences where we have seen God’s provision. If we can’t remember a time where God supernaturally provided for us, it might mean that we are too preoccupied with building our own kingdoms and not His. When was the last time you experienced something that is only explainable by God? 

A Witness of Hope

We live in a world of Chicken Littles. Everyone is running around proclaiming that the sky is falling. In a society reporting doom and gloom, we should easily be able to stand out from the crowd. Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their faith was deeply rooted. They had witnessed the provision of God when they refused to eat from the king's table. Therefore, when everyone else bowed down to the idol of Nebuchadnezzar, there they were, standing like three mighty oaks amongst fallen pines. 

Years ago, I was talking with the late Dr. Warren Wiersbe about the pressing needs of our day. I asked him if he were still pastoring, what book of the Bible would he preach. He told me, “I Peter,” in which the title of his commentary for that epistle is, “Be Hopeful.” In this letter, the Apostle Peter is writing to a Church that was facing one of the worst times of persecution. In the midst of those dark circumstances, Peter reminds them that they have a ‘living hope’ (I Peter 1:3). The tree would not die because it was born of an ‘imperishable seed’ (I Peter 1:23).

Peter instructs them that because of their hope, they should be living with so much confidence that people around them would take note of it, “...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you...” (I Peter 3:15). 

But notice, Peter tells them to be ready. I’m convinced that the reason most of us don’t share our faith is because we haven’t prepared beforehand. So, how do we equip ourselves? It starts by feeding our soul. We need to stretch out our roots and take in the nutrients of God’s Word every day. Preach the gospel to yourself in the mornings so that it will be fresh on the tip of your tongue. Bask in the promises of God and let the fruit of the Spirit bear itself for others to see.

This is how we will advance the Kingdom of God. This is where we will find the reassurances of our hope as God provides for our every need. This is what will stick in the mind of those who are examining our lives and the genuineness of our faith. This is going to make a difference for you, and everyone you love.

So, go ahead. Ask me why I’m hopeful.