A Hope Worth Hanging On To!

E. B. White, author of "Charlotte’s Web" and "Stuart Little," once received a letter from a reader predicting a grim future for mankind. White wrote back, and his letter was later published in Letters of E. B. White as well as in the Reader’s Digest magazine (September, 20014). His response included these words (warning – not all of them are Biblically accurate): "Hope is the thing which is left to us in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness. Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, ‘the weather is a great bluffer.’ I guess the same is true of human society – things can look dark, then a break in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out. Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day."

I appreciate White’s optimistic attitude and high regard for human beings. People are inventive and ingenious, and sometimes people do come together and change things for the better. That being said, I hasten to note that Biblically speaking, White hung his hope on a very shaky hook! The "queer mess" man has made of the world is called "sin" in the Bible, and is something that most defintely can NOT be solved through some latent, innate goodness in man yet waiting to sprout; not something we can, with mere cleverness and human ingenuity, claw our way out of. We’ve been clawing since the Garden of Eden. Except for God’s amazing grace and saving initiative through Christ, we are simply without power to save ourselves from sin and death. Many hang on to "hope" our world will improve in the same way they "hope" the weather will be nice for their vacation or that they will win a lottery where their chances are one in 2 billion – a flimsy hope indeed! That kind of hope slips away no matter how tightly we hang on. Biblical hope is very different. It is grounded in the character and actions and promises of God, not man. Note a few examples. Romans 5:2, at the beginning of a section about suffering, says that Christians "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." The "hope" spoken of is confident and eager expectation, not just wishful thinking. God’s righteous, faithful character provides a secure and constant foundation on which to ground our hope. God is good all the time – all the time God is good! It is impossible for Him to promise and not fulfill (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2). Christian hope is "a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:5). Is Jesus’ tomb still empty? Then we still have hope! The Christian’s hope is "laid up for you in heaven" (Colossians 1:5). Hope anchors the soul to God and Christ in heaven, and is "both sure and steadfast" (Hebrews 6:19). Therefore, "rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13). Worldy hopes cannot last, but Christ is our sole hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). That hope is worth hanging on to.

 Dan Gulley, Smithville, T