Hope for Eternity

When thinking about hope, whether in the present, in the context of community, or when facing difficult times, a trend begins to immerge: our hope is focused on God. It almost seems silly to point it out because I think most of us would intellectually agree. In the moment though, I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we have forgotten the source of and provider for that hope.

But knowing hope is focused on God is not enough. It is an instance where my favorite question, “why?” is not only appropriate, but needed. What is it about God that fills us with such hope, no matter the situation? The answer will likely surprise no one: it is because God spoiled the ending.

We are beings designed to live for eternity. If we had no knowledge of what that eternity had in store for us, it would be terrifying. What horrors might we endure? What pain might we experience? What things or people once loved might we never see again? God, however, has given us a glimpse into eternity. He has told us of the place prepared for us, of the end to all weeping and pain, and greatest of all our ability to live forever in His presence, something we won’t be able to realize until we are able to experience it. It isn’t very detailed, but it is enough for hope to live on.

When we feel lost or alone, can we not have hope for God’s house and all those living there in perfect community? When we grieve alongside our brothers and sisters, is there not great hope in the promise of full restoration and deliverance from evil? When the darkness of this world seems overwhelming, as if it is choking our very souls, should we not take solace in being bathed in God’s light not just for a lifetime, but for eternity?

Wherever we find hope, we glimpse God’s promise of what is to come. Wherever our hope is lacking, we must trust that here and now is but a speck of sand in the grand scheme of what God has planned.

Pax,

Paul Hart Cochran