For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:24-25)

Hope

G. K. Chesterton wrote, “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.” The nature of man is to find courage in the face of hope when times are darkest, and when there are no answers visible. A man who is lost knows the danger of uncertainty, and only with the hope of being saved can he know the power of courage to keep on seeking life in the face of death.

Salvation is the key ingredient to the relationship between God and man. If a person is lost and does not realize it, they do not fear and feel confident in their surroundings. There is no need to be saved because there is no knowledge that the path taken leads to danger. A man wandering in the woods aimlessly, refusing to acknowledge he is lost, does not change the reality that he will die. If a person does not believe in God and the need for salvation, they will go through life confident that they are well without fearing the consequences of where their path will take them. Denying God does not remove God from the equation; it just makes the man a fool because the fool has said in his heart there is no God.

A drowning man does not question his condition. He knows that if someone does not come to save him, he will die. No one needs to convince the man that he is in danger of drowning. He hopes that something or someone will rescue him from his impending doom. He struggles mightily against the course of the water, trying to sweep him away. His fight is a struggle with the fear of death. The hope of salvation in the heart of a drowning man is vibrant and strong.

Until a man comes to the reality of the consequences of sin, he will die in his sin. The first thing a man must know is that he is a sinner and that without hope in God, there is no rescue. Denying sin does not remove sin any more than denying a raging current will save a drowning man. Man’s greatest question is what he must do to be saved. God’s greatest gift is the answer to that question. When a man knows he is lost, then, and only then, does hope have real meaning. In Jesus Christ, hope brings life to a lost soul and brings peace. A man will not know hope until he knows the gift of eternal salvation. Hope in God. Find peace in the love of God.