Friends of ours recently adopted a child from foster care. What a joy it was to walk with them through the process, from the time of placement when the child was 5 weeks old, to legal adoption at 2 years old.
Our church small group hosted a party at church to celebrate the adoption. We made a taco bar, decorated with green, blue, and dinosaurs, and had a huge cake. The guest of honor was oblivious through the festivities, adorably so.
When everyone was served, we made our plates and sat down at the table. The little guy crawled up in my lap, picked up my fork, and dug into my plate. I smiled, not just because I was clearly spoiling him, but because his little life was a beautiful illustration of what God does for us.
Adoption is one of the blessings of salvation through Jesus Christ. He not only forgives our sin through the cross, but transfers us into an adoptive, paternal relationship with him.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:14-16
Because of the work of Jesus, we have a place at God’s table. He doesn’t leave us crumbs. We have a seat, and even have the freedom and relationship to crawl up in his lap. He doesn’t withhold any spiritual blessing from us because of the glorious blood of Jesus.
It’s not just a metaphorical table either. When God’s Kingdom is fully ushered in, we’ll eat the marriage feast of the Lamb in the presence of God.
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
Rev. 19:6a-9
Jesus secured our adoption and seat at the table. Praise him for his kindness and mercy in making us his daughters!
I did it again. I worked on my Pintrest nursery board. I mentally counted the months and estimated the due date. I thought through how and when we’d tell our families. I imagined holding a tiny human with my husband’s eyes, listening to infant squeaks. But with familiar pangs in my empty womb came the lance of reality. No baby.
Hope is a beautiful thing, but what if hope becomes an enemy? What if, in this season of life, hope is cruel, risky, and unfulfilled? What do we do when hope hurts?
Hope is a feeling of anticipation and a desire for a certain thing to happen. This anticipation and its appeal is universal. Hope is the central agent of change in storytelling and great epics: Luke to the Rebellion, Frodo to the Fellowship, and Harry to the good wizards and witches.
Hope can affect our bodies as well as our minds. Researchers learned that hope can even alter neurochemistry, mimicking the effects of morphine by releasing endorphins and enkephalins to block pain (Jerome Groopman).
Hope in Scripture
Hope is a central theme of the Bible. In the Old Testament, the word hope is used eighty-eight times (ESV). Many of these passages express the anticipation of the Messiah and the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and the Israelites. Job, a book centered on suffering, uses “hope” twenty-one times, and it appears twenty-eight times in the Psalms, a book in which the psalmist doesn’t shy away from expressing anguish, fear, and joy to God.
In the New Testament, we see the disciples’ hope that Jesus is the Messiah. Peter was one of the first to recognize Jesus was the Christ (Matt. 16:16). He promised to never deny him, and even to die with him (Matt. 26:33-35). Peter’s hope was so utterly crushed after denying Jesus three times, he wept bitterly (Matt. 26:75). Yet on the third day after Jesus’ death, Peter himself ran to the tomb and found it empty. Later Jesus appeared and restored him. Hope kindled. Hope lost. Hope restored. Hope fulfilled.
What do we do when we find ourselves pierced by hope like Peter, left broken and weeping bitterly?
Shift your Hope
In an oft repeated refrain, the psalmist writes,
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Ps. 42:11
When hopes are dashed and all seems the darkest, hope in God. Hope, when placed in God, is an unquenchable beacon in the night. God will not fail us. His faithfulness knows no end. He is unchangeable, all powerful, sovereign, good, and just.
If our ultimate hope is in God and his provision in Christ to cover our sin, our darkest day on earth will be the closest we ever get to hell. Even when we see the whites of the eyes of the enemy and feel him breathing down our neck, we have unshakeable hope. We are in Christ, perfect and complete, made righteous and holy through the blood of the Lamb. Our hope is founded not in this world, but in the eternal Kingdom of God.
Don’t Lose Heart
Do you hope for rest? “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).
Do you hope for peace? “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
Do you hope for joy? “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).
Do you hope for restoration? “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Do you hope to be rid of your flesh? “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
Dear one, do not lose heart. God knows and sees the hope that hurts you. Don’t put your hope in temporary things. Rest in your ultimate hope, the Lord, and bask in the assurance that his hope will never be foiled or disappointed. We will one day be with him.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
When I was in college, I had the privilege of babysitting my pastor’s kids. One of my favorite parts was putting them to bed. No, not the fact that they were going to sleep so I could dig into the peanut butter chocolate swirl ice cream in the freezer, but because I told bedtime stories.
I told the younger girls stories of princesses who had adventures with mermaids and fairies. After goodnight kisses and making sure all the essential blankies were in bed, I went downstairs to the boys’s room to tell their stories.
Sir Jake and Sir Jimmy were two brave knights who defended their father’s kingdom, learned about teamwork, and fought dragons, trolls, and ogres. I wove in elements of sacrifice, glory, and duty. The knights failed at times, but learned they could always count on their father, the king, because he was the ultimate dragon-slayer.
In retrospect, I gave much more attention to the boys’ stories, mostly because the girls were younger and didn’t need sweeping plot lines to entertain them. However if I could go back, I would tell similar stories to the girls. Trust in and fight for the Dragon-Slayer.
Big Picture
The box office successes of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Stars Wars, and Game of Thrones shows our culture’s thirst for epic, sweeping adventures that weave together individual characters and events into a grand story. We long to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam seem small and alone on the journey to destroy the ring in Mount Doom, yet the reader knows that everyone else is working hard for the same end. Frodo and Sam reach Mount Doom because Gandalf and Aragorn draw out the enemy and clear their path. The Ring is finally destroyed, despite Frodo’s succumbing to its power, by Gollum, who wants the ring for himself, but is destroyed along with it. Frodo and Sam were only a piece of the story. A pivotal piece, but a piece nonetheless.
This resonates with us because we too want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Culture tells us that we are enough, that if we look deep down, we’ll find the strength and power we need to be the main character of our own stories.
However our culture is full of symptoms that this mindset is toxic. Drug use and opioid crises wreak havoc with addiction, abuse, and overdose. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there are 129 suicides a day. Anxiety and depression are common-place. Sex is cheap and meaningless. When we look to ourselves for meaning and purpose, we only go deeper in our depravity and darkness.
Our Dragon-Slayer
The good news is that we are part of a bigger story. God created this world out of nothing for his glory. When the first people on the earth, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey God, sin entered the world, and it broke everything. It wrecked our relationship with God, each other, and the world. We were enslaved to our sin and to Satan, the dragon (Rev. 12, 20).
However God, in his mercy, sent his son Jesus Christ to live the perfect life we could not. He died on the cross in the horrible death that we deserve as just punishment for our sins. Jesus rose again on the third day, conquering death, sin, and the dragon.
Jesus is our Hero. He offers forgiveness to all who call on the name of the Lord, and eternal life in resurrected bodies after he returns at his appointed hour.
This is God’s story. A story of hope. A story of love. A story that you could have a part in if you are a follower of Jesus Christ.
If you are a follower of Jesus, take heart! This darkness will not last, indeed Jesus has already landed the death stroke of the dark dragon (Satan) who rules these lands.
If you don’t know Jesus, I plead with you to come and meet the good God who created you, loves you, and offers you eternal hope and life in Christ Jesus.
You have a part to play in God’s story. Come and adore the great Dragon-Slayer!
Kristi P. Powell 