In one of his sermons Bishop Robert Barron explains that hope in God is different from mere wishing for something.  Hope in God can only happen if we align our life to the will and the plan of God.  It is when we orient our life to the will and plan of God that we can hope that everything will happen as He planned it and willed it. In other words, hope in God centers on God, not on us and what we want. As we enter the new year, I pray that this will become one of the guiding principles of our lives.  We hope for His plan to be done, a plan that will include us and bless us and bring glory to Christ.

Hope in God knows no disappointment because disappointment is centered on us, on what we want.  Hope in God is centered on God, on what He wills and has planned for us, so whatever happens we trust that it is in the best plan of God.  We can and should pray for our wishes to be heard but we will not be under pressure for it to happen and we won’t pressure God to make it happen.  Our Father already knows what we want, so we can rest in His will and time.

As we are nearing the end of the year, my mind goes back to some of my colleagues in the Bible school who have literally been living by the grace of God.  There were times that I thought I might not see them again due to the serious illnesses they suffered.  But here they are. They are still alive and in fact, some could resume teaching. There were periods when they had to stop, not knowing whether they could ever go back to ministry.  But in His infinite mercy, God restored their health.  They hope in God that His will be done.

Our brothers Budi and Oom Arthur, our sisters Tante Sophia and Tante Els had to stop; in fact, they are still home, but they hold on to hope in God.  Their lives do not center on their wills and plans but on the will of God. And that is what makes them grounded.

Pastor Paul