A New Hope

Reflect:

As we entered the year 2022, many of us were filled with the anticipation of a new hope. We had thoughts of the pandemic ending and we somehow had an expectation that the world was going to go back to normal soon. The news about the Omicron variant made us only slightly apprehensive. However, as days passed and as we heard news left and right of friends and family either testing positive for Covid-19 or simply experiencing flu-like symptoms, every notification from social media seemed to slowly steal away the hope that was flickering in our hearts. 

In Romans 15:13 (and in many other verses in the Bible) we are reminded however to keep that hope. The apostle Paul even prays that we will be filled with it along with all joy and peace in believing (13a). The circumstances around us may dictate hopelessness, but the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to keep this hope alive.

Verse 12 reminds us that the source of this hope is none other than Jesus Christ. Though the context of this passage is that the hope found in Christ is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike, we need to note that, indeed, it is Jesus Christ who is the anchor of all hope. 

When we put our hope in earthly things – in the news, in people, in our circumstances – there will always be a tendency for us to be let down. However, there is peace and joy in anchoring our hope in Jesus Christ. May our hearts be filled once again with this new hope.

Respond:

Has the new year disappointed you so far even though you might have been filled with hope at the start? Be filled once again with the hope found in Jesus Christ. Allow yourself to be a vessel of this hope to others as well.