The power of hope

Once I was riding a bus, returning to apartment where I'm living, and I was worried about the fact that the war in Ukraine has been going on for a long time and there is no end in sight. The enemy is regularly plundering new territories (cities and villages) of my country, destroying ordinary Ukrainians and their lives. I am a soldier and I really want to return to my civilian life: to do professional work, improve myself acording to my vocation, play guitar in a church praise group…

And then suddenly a woman sat down next to me on the bus, who, as I later learned, herself belonged to the “Victory” church in Kyiv. She approached me to give me a prayer booklet. We got to know each other, started talking about life, she said that she believed in a bright prosperous future for our country. I responded to this thought by saying that it seemed like the apocalypse was approaching (so you shouldn’t dream too much about a bright future for Ukraine)... She reminded me from the Scriptures that the apocalypse would come when all nations and every person on Earth hear the Gospel, then Christ would come a second time. She said something like this: “It is worth hoping for help from God. Not in weapons, not in presidents or other people.”

She added that God would give us victory, and perhaps some changes in society would take place in Russia (which would push this process to the end of the war).

It was a short conversation, but it instilled in me a sense of hope. Also faith that God really has everything under control: He saw my thoughts, and brought me a person who encouraged me a little.

I constantly pray for the end of the war. God may be silent at times, but this does not mean that He does not hear or that He does not care. God may expect something from us, people, - some of our inner spiritual changes. God may also be silent about something that prompts us (or me, for example) to some reflection, to analysis and to the right steps. For example, a person who expects the end of the war may ask himself: “What can I do to make this happen?”

The Lord does not leave us in despair. He wants us to hope in Him first of all: in His strength, His omnipotence, His deliverance, His healing, care, etc. In the message of the prophet Jeremiah 29:11 it is written:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Joseph, the son of Jacob in the Old Testament, unwaveringly hoped in the Lord, and God exalted him and did much through Joseph.

The Lord can guide us in the right steps so that our hope is matched by action. The Apostle Paul says:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is our helper, He is the third Person of the Holy Trinity, and can fill us with strength, hope, faith, and renew us when we invite Him.

Hope always has good consequences. It is said that hope dies last. And it is true: when we stop hoping, our hands drop, our determination disappears, we burn out more quickly, we become more inclined to give up in the struggle, and we even become more vulnerable to the temptation to follow wrong paths. On the contrary, those who hope, and "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint", as the prophet Isaiah says in chapter 40, verse 31.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He Who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

The ultimate hope must be based on the redemption of our lives by Christ, the gift of eternal life through our faith in Jesus Christ. We may find ourselves in different circumstances or trials in life, but our hope in Christ must remain. After all, He promised that those who keep their faith in Him, give their lives to God, will live with Him in eternity. Finally, God is faithful to His word.