By Shafer Parker

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. When we at Faith Beyond Belief committed ourselves to making 2020 a year of hope, we could not have known how relevant this theme would be. But God did, and in this Thanksgiving season it is appropriate to pause and thank Him for the blessing of hope in the midst of a Covid pandemic. Gratitude for life’s blessings is a worldwide phenomenon (check it out; nations around the world formally celebrate Thanksgiving, and almost all these celebrations are related to a bountiful harvest).

But there is a significant difference between Christian thanksgiving and all other forms. You don’t have to dig very deep to find that pagan thanksgiving carries a coercive element; its gratitude is deliberately amped in order to persuade the gods, or nature, or whatever powers there be, to bless everyone again next year (check it out here and here). In these cases, it doesn’t require much thought to see that in the pagan context thanksgiving has little, or no relationship with hope, at least not Christian hope. Instead, pagan thanksgiving is more like influence, or even flattery to ensure that next year’s harvest is also good.

Christian hope, on the other hand, is founded on the promises of the God Who Loved Us First! (I John 4:10). Ours is the God who “loved [us] with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3), and for that reason pours out grace and love upon His people, even, or especially, because we do not merit such love. That is why the Psalmist could say: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Where Christian hope is concerned, there is no need to coerce, flatter, or bribe. God’s love is so steadfast that we can trust in it much the same way we trust in gravity, or the certainty of tomorrow’s sun. Remember, we don’t have to fake gratitude to try to get God to do something for us. Every day He does things to earn our gratitude, whether we’re grateful or not. So please be patient with me while I wax sermonic (or devotional), as together we explore each word in the title of this blog.

We have hope

Notice I’ve italicized “We.” Remember, hope is a virtue bestowed by God on those who are born again or born of the Spirit. Years ago, I had a friend who quoted his favourite verse to me every time we were together. I used to think, “Isn’t it time he learned another verse?” But as I’ve grown older, I’ve questioned my critical spirit toward this brother. I think he was onto something as he repeated to me and all his friends, “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” (Rom. 15:13). If you are a Christian, one of the reasons you can have hope in your life is the presence of the Holy Spirit to assure you of God’s personal love, and His continued presence and power in your life. But remember, this privilege is unique to Christians.

We have hope

Hope is more than a vague desire for something, based on the thought that chance might bring it your way. This morning’s news included an announcement that 19 Edmonton co-workers had won a $1-million lotto jackpot after playing together twice a week for 10 years. Doubtless they hoped/desired to win something every time they played. But wishing for something is not Christian hope. Christian hope is far more than a vague desire to go to heaven when you die. In early Christian writings hope is listed as one of the seven virtues, alongside prudence, justice, fortitude (patience), temperance, faith, and charity. In other words, Christian hope is a character quality infused by a supernatural act of God’s regenerating grace. It can be strengthened by the use of spiritual disciplines, but it cannot exist in an individual apart from a work of God. Hope usually works with faith in that an informed faith can assure a person that life is worth living, while hope is expressed by the will to carry on when there is nothing but faith to make perseverance seem worthwhile.

God gives us reasons

As a mental exercise it’s easy to come up with reasons for gratitude. On some level anyone can do it. If properly encouraged, I imagine that even someone in the depths of depression could come up with a list of blessings for which others, at least, should be grateful. But when we say God gives us reasons for hope, reasons to be grateful, we’re again talking about gifts that transcend the ordinary, that exist independently from mere earthly reasons. Remember, Hope is born out of a knowledge of the nature and character of God. We are assured by Scripture and taught by the Holy Spirit that God is good, and that God is love. Moreover, God has a plan for this world that ultimately brings His people into His presence forever, and to make that possible He has the wisdom, the foresight, and the power to accomplish all that He has planned. Therefore, no matter how horrible, or how dreary the circumstances, God is still on His throne and all our reasons for hope still rest in Him.

As is true for all the virtues, Christian hope is best seen as lived out in the life of our Lord. The book of Hebrews tells us that it was “the joy set before him,” that enabled Jesus to “endure the cross” (Heb. 12:2). But who set that joy before Jesus’ eyes? The answer is His heavenly Father. Jesus went to the cross with all the promises of Isaiah 53 ringing in His mind. He knew that because God’s Word cannot fail, His suffering and death would not be meaningless. As a gift from God to us, Jesus’ heavenly Father is also our Heavenly Father (Rom. 8:12-17), and just as Scripture gave our Lord the joy He needed to do His Father’s will, so Scripture gives us the promises we need to endure this life without losing hope. When James writes that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” (Jas. 1:17), he’s talking about far more than food and clothing. The context shows God is at work in us to make us able to trust Him in the way Jesus trusted Him.

God gives us reasons

We don’t reflect enough on the unique nature of our relationship with the living God. We don’t just believe in God, we are privileged to communicate with God in ways analogous to the way friends and lovers communicate—deeply, frequently and plainly. God speaks to us in many ways, but most explicitly by His Word, the Bible. There is no other faith system on planet earth where its followers are so blessed. God does not demand of us anything He does not first give us. When Jesus commanded Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the sea, the power to do so was inherent in the command. When Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, Lazarus was given life and strength to obey at that very moment. In the same way, when we are called to new life in Christ by the Holy Spirit, God gives us the hope and faith we need to be faithful to Him. Much of that faith is bound up in God’s promises, but again, His promises are the cause of our hope in exactly the same way that His spoken word brought forth the sun, the moon, and the stars.

God gives us reasons for gratitude

Here is a short list of reasons God gives us that, when properly processed through a sanctified mind, cannot help but result in enduring hope and gratitude.

• God gives us His Spirit (John 14:16). Think of it, the Trinity taking up residence and feeling at home in our hearts (Eph. 3:17).

• The Spirit assures us we have a parent/child relationship with the creator God (Rom. 8:14-17).

• We’re assured of the truth that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:39).

• Jesus tells us that our daily needs are never forgotten by our Father in Heaven (Mat. 6:25-34).

• The book of Revelation was written to expound on the amazing theme of the blessed heavenly home we’ve been promised (Rev. 21-22).

• Death holds no more terrors because when the upward call comes, God is with us by the Spirit, giving us reasons to be grateful (Rev. 14:13).

• Even the strength to be all Jesus wants us to be in daily life is promised to us in II Peter 1:3-11.

Brothers and sister, these things are tangible expressions of the new life granted to the Spirit-regenerated Christian. God help us to live every day in the hope provided by these ever-present realities. And may God enable you to always be grateful.

CHRISTIANS NEED TO STAND STRONG. YOU CAN HELP THEM.