I recently took part in a Guinness World Record attempt for most people doing pushups simultaneously. A crowd category is probably my only chance for any kind of World Record. I can’t think of anything that I’m literally, quantifiably the “best in the world” at. But I can show up and be part of something much bigger than me.
The World Record attempt was part of a childhood cancer awareness event. Some truly amazing people paraded before me on that high school field – warriors all. A young lady stood with her sisters and shared about the fundraiser she started after one was diagnosed with cancer. The girls are named Faith, Hope and Peace. Hope is the one with cancer.
Of course Hope is the target.
Hope is desire and longing for something unseen to be real, for what we desperately want to be true to be actual fact. It’s the source, the fertile soil, from which faith and love grow. And because of that, it’s utterly opposed.
Hope is always what our enemy is trying to take out. He says it’s not for us, there’s no possibility of change, a fresh start is impossible. And without hope, we give up. Like Job we cry, “My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken” (Job 17:11). The enemy wants us to believe that loss is the inevitable end of all things.
But God says something different is not just possible but inevitable when He’s part of the equation. The old is gone and something new and wonderful has taken its place (2 Corinthians 5:17). The question is, do we live like we believe it – as though what we hope for is true – even if we can’t yet see it?
I think that’s why James describes hope as a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.
We who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence (this hope) is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. Hebrews 6:18-19
Hope is our lifeline. To lose hold of hope means to be cast adrift, lost at sea. We must keep a firm grasp on it. “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees” (Hebrews 12:12) and hold on to hope with everything you’ve got. It’s the way out, the rescue.
Maybe the enemy has come after your hope. Your situation looks irreversible, impossible. Hopeless. You can identify with the prophet Jeremiah when his home was overrun and destroyed by an invading army –
I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all – oh, how well I remember – the feeling of hitting the bottom. Lamentations 3:19-20 MSG
There is a way out of the pit. There’s a lifeline that will bring you back to the surface. Hold on to it and do not let go. The steadfast, eternal, unchanging lovingkindness of God is the bedrock that holds hope’s anchor fast.
There’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:21-24 MSG
I’m still thinking about those brave sisters, attempting to do something that seems impossible. Yes, Hope is the target. But Faith holds on to Hope and won’t let go.