1 Peter 1:3–5 ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.’ (vv3–4a)
Keeping hope alive when hard pressed is difficult for everyone. Here Peter encourages Christians to do so, even in the face of real hostility.
There is no consensus on what constitutes life as a ‘living hope’. It is a process rather than a state. We see this as we change physically and psychologically with age.
Life is the ability to grow, metabolise (the chemical action required to stay alive), adapt, reproduce, and mature. What’s true of our mortal life is equally important, and mirrored, in our spiritual life.
Hope therefore is not some precept we must maintain by force of will but an ever-emerging truth that nurtures and nourishes our ability and capacity to love and serve God and ourselves.
Hope provides us with a positive expectation that things will improve. However, it’s a desire without certainty, only sustained by a confident belief in its realisation.
It’s a desire with high expectations but very little surety. Without hope our present troubles become unbearable. With hope, they may not change, but we’re able to maintain an expectation that they can improve, and we’ll survive.
Hope is the critical element in maintaining Christian faith. In part this is a gift from God. It is also the fruit of the encouragement and support of family and friends.
Learning to live in the hope of God’s ability to comfort and carry us through all of life’s events is critical in maintaining a living – that is, maturing – Christian faith. Hope is the yeast that causes the bread of life to rise and offer sustenance.
A Prayer To Make:
‘Lord, when blindsided by life and consumed with disappointment and fear, may I cling to Your promise and maintain my living hope. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
Is the hope in your heart alive or in danger of faltering and failing? It is in holding to God’s promises that you will discover the yeast to raise your hope in God.
Scripture To Consider:
Exod. 16:1–36; 1 Kgs 17:8–16; Luke 13:18–21; Gal. 5:1–12
