Where We Set Our Hope

“God is our refuge and strength,

an ever present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though the waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.”  Psalm 46:1-3

It feels like the earth is giving way in Montana.  On top of the COVID oppression causing many people to live their lives in fear, on top of the political war, rioting, deception, and hatred that is spewing from the mouths of many, we now have smoke, a lot of smoke. Our country that was on fire figuratively is now on fire literally.

Kids that we have kept away from many of their favorite activities all spring and summer had recently been given a small sliver of hope in returning to some outdoor sports.  Yet, this week, all football, soccer and outdoor sports were cancelled.  I am sure it is considered dangerous to even hike outside.

In Montana, we cling to our outdoor beauty and opportunities especially during the few warm months of the year.  Many of us live here for this very reason.  Hiking, boating, fishing, trail running, mountain biking, swimming, and camping are normal daily activities for even the oldest people here. It would be rare to go on a hike or a run and not meet a 70 year old busy trekking their daily 3-6 miles.

Throughout the COVID quarantine and restrictions, I have held onto the fact that at least I live in Montana where it is so beautiful, and I can get outside into the woods and onto the trails or visit a river each and every day. 

Now this too is not something we can depend upon. 

Hope In My Plans

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21.

Over the years the Lord has taught me to trust him and realize my plans are not always His plans. He does not exist to approve MY plans but rather I exist to to walk faithfully through and for His purposes.

We own a business in Missouri, and in years past there were several times I thought we might go bankrupt. After many nights of fretting and getting up at 4am to worry about something I could not change, I realized the Lord would either make it so or he wouldn’t. My job was simply to walk the path he put before me. If God allowed us to go bankrupt, then we would be bankrupt and we would be as faithful and hardworking as we could be in that season. Alas, it did not happen, but I did not fear it anymore.

As I trusted God with our financial situation, I also had to face a more serious question, the question one no one wants to actually face or ask.

What would I do if I lost my family? Could I trust the Lord in that situation? Or when I say my hope is in the Lord, do I really mean my hope is in the Lord as long as he follows my plan as long as I lose nothing of real value?

I wouldn’t say I hold my family loosely, but the Lord has also taught me that as much as I love my family, I do not have the promise of tomorrow with any one of them.  None of them can be my all-in-all, my only fortress in trouble nor should they be my idols. 

I have had conversations with the Lord realizing that I put too much hope in these sweet people that I do life with.  I have said, as hard as this is to say, “Lord, please do not take my family from me, but if you do and I am still here, I will do your work as best as I can.  I know your will is higher than mine and I will serve you as faithfully as I can for as long as you leave me here.”

These are hard lesson which will be even harder to carry out if either of these situations should occur, but I hold them as dear lessons about loving and serving God.

After these two submissions to the Lord, I really thought I had it nailed. What else could be taken from you or me that matters?

Then Came COVID

COVID taught me that my freedom is something I take for granted but also that it is not something I can cling to.  Is it good?  Yes, freedom is good and I plan to fight for the freedom of this country and the free world, but does it determine my faithfulness?  Does it determine my joy?  Is it my hope and my refuge? 

No, it is not.

Similarly, God’s creation is beautiful and the sun, which I cannot see today though it shines brightly behind the cloud, is a great testament to the goodness of God.  I love what he created, but as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I know this earthly creation is not my forever home.  I am an exile, a foreigner, as are all believers here, and our hope is not in anything but the Lord.

Not nature.

Not money.

Not our families.

Not our freedom.

Not our success at work.

Not what other people think about us.

Not in our good deeds.

Not in our looks.

Not in our own tiniest bit of righteousness.

We can greatly rejoice in our coming salvation that will be revealed in the last time.  These present trials, grief and suffering have come to refine our faith, indeed to test us to see upon what we have set our hope. 

We all have but one true everlasting hope.

“Therefore with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.”  1 Peter 1:13

God never promised us a rose garden in this life. He promises to be with us, to shepherd us, and to forgive our sins through our faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. He asks us to remember that He is our all no matter what we have or do not have.

Having money is good. Having freedom is better. Having a family is even better, but the privilege to know, hope and trust in Jesus Christ is the best and the only thing that will endure through all this mess. And, yes it is a mess that I believe is about to get messier.

So, when we mourn the loss of any thing whether that be our freedom, our rights or something more tangible like our money, may we remember where to set our hope. “Set your hope on the grace to be brought when Jesus is revealed at his coming.”

We can greatly rejoice. We can be faithful because we are able to know true Hope.