S2E37 Hope Without Denial

Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the Spray UMC Podcast.

I am Hoyt.

Today we're going to talk about hope, but not the kind of hope that asks us to pretend everything is fine.

Our subject is hope without denial.

When someone is suffering, we often want to make the pain go away.

We may say, everything happens for a reason.

Just stay positive, or God will fix everything.

Those words usually come from a caring heart, but they can make a hurting person feel that there is no room for grief, fear, anger, or questions.

Christian hope does not require us to ignore reality.

It allows us to tell the truth about what is happening while trusting that God has not abandoned us.

So our question today is this how can we remain hopeful without pretending that everything is alright?

There is a difference between Christian hope and positive thinking.

Positive thinking tries to concentrate on a good outcome.

Christian hope rests in the character of God, even when we do not know what the outcome will be.

If we have received a frightening diagnosis, faith does not require us to deny it.

If someone we love has died, faith does not require us to act as though the loss does not hurt.

If a relationship is broken, faith does not require us to pretend that nothing happened.

Hope begins when we bring the truth into God's presence.

Denial says nothing is wrong.

Christian hope says something is wrong and it hurts, but this pain will not have the final word.

The Bible never hides the pain of God's people.

Psalms 13 begins with questions that many believers have been afraid to say aloud.

How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, forever?

How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?

But I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Psalms thirteen one two and five six.

David begins by asking how long?

He does not hide his sorrow or pretend that waiting is easy, yet he also remembers the mercy of God.

His pain and his trust appear in the same prayer.

This is biblical lament.

Lament is not turning away from God.

It is carrying our confusion and sorrow toward God.

We can trust him while still asking difficult questions.

We can believe while weeping.

We can pray even when the only words we have are Lord, how long?

We see the same truth when Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus.

Jesus knew that he would raise Lazarus, but he did not hurry past the family's grief.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him?

They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

Jesus wept.

That's John eleven thirty three thirty five.

Jesus did not tell Martha and Mary that their tears showed weak faith.

He stood beside them and wept.

The resurrection that was about to come did not make their present sorrow meaningless.

This teaches us something important about caring for one another.

Sometimes the most faithful response is not an explanation, it is a tear, a prayer, and the willingness to remain beside someone who is hurting.

People in pain often need our presence before they need our answers.

Christian faith does not rush from suffering directly to celebration.

Before Easter morning came Good Friday.

Jesus experienced betrayal, abandonment, physical agony, and death.

The cross tells us that God does not remain distant from human suffering.

In Jesus Christ, God entered it.

The resurrection then tells us that suffering and death do not possess the final victory.

We need both truths.

If we speak about resurrection without making room for the cross, our hope becomes shallow.

If we see only the cross and forget the resurrection, suffering appears to be the end of the story.

Hope looks honestly at Good Friday while trusting that Easter morning is real.

Paul writes in Romans, For we are saved by hope.

But hope that is seen is not hope.

For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

But if we hope for what we yet not see, then do we with patience wait for it?

That was Romans 8, 24-25.

Hope concerns that we cannot yet see.

We do not know how every situation will end.

God may bring healing, a restoring relationship, open a door, or change our circumstances.

Sometimes the answer is different from the one we requested.

Sometimes the burden remains, and God gives us grace to carry it.

Our deepest hope cannot depend upon receiving every earthly outcome we desire.

It rests in the faithfulness of God and in the promise that, through Christ, sin, suffering, and death will not have the final word.

A personal word about hope.

Living with dialysis has taught me that hope and hardship can occupy the same day.

Three days each week I go for treatment.

I do not have to pretend that disease or dialysis is easy or that my body is never tired.

There are needles, hours in the chair, changes in how I feel, and questions about what tomorrow may bring.

Hope does not mean that I can confidently predict what my health will look like next week or next year.

It means trusting that I am not abandoned today.

Grace may come through a nurse who notices that something is wrong, a friend who calls at the right moment, the prayers of the church, or enough strength to endure one more treatment.

I do not always receive grace for every future possibility at once.

God gives me enough grace for the next faithful step.

Some days hope feels strong.

On other days, hope may be little more than showing up, praying a short prayer, and placing myself again into the hands of God.

Small hope is still hope when it is placed in a faithful God.

We should be careful not to pressure hurting people to appear cheerful.

We do not know that every hardship is a punishment, a test, or part of some plan that we can explain.

We should not use scripture to silence grief or promise that every painful circumstance will soon improve.

Instead of telling someone we think that the suffering happened for this reason, we can ask, How can I walk with you?

We can listen, we can pray, we can help with practical needs.

We can allow people to express fear, disappointment, anger, and sorrow without judging their faith.

Hope becomes credible when it is carried by people who are willing to say.

The church should be a place where no one has to pretend to be well in order to be loved.

If you are walking through a difficult season, begin by naming the truth.

Tell God what hurts.

Tell him what you fear and what you desire.

Honest prayer is still faithful prayer.

Remember how God has sustained you before?

The past does not guarantee that tomorrow will unfold exactly as you wish, but remembering his faithfulness can help you recognize that you have not reached this day alone.

Receive help.

Let family, friends, the church, counselors, doctors, and caregivers walk beside you.

Needing help is not a failure of faith.

Look for today's grace.

Do not demand enough strength for every future possibility.

Ask God for what you need to take the next faithful step.

Remain connected to prayer, scripture, worship, communion, and Christian community.

Finally, make room for grief and gratitude to exist together.

We can mourn what has been lost while giving thanks for the love and grace that remain.

Questions for reflection?

What truths do I need to bring honestly before God?

Have I confused faith with pretending to be alright?

Where have I already seen God sustain me?

What grace has He provided for today?

And is there someone who needs my presence more than my advice?

Conclusion.

Christian hope does not close its eyes to pain.

It looks at pain through the light of the resurrection.

We may not know when circumstances will change, and we may not receive the answer we requested.

Yet God remains with us.

We do not hope because everything is fine.

We hope because God is faithful.

We do not deny the darkness.

We trust that in Jesus Christ, the darkness will not overcome the light.

Let us pray.

Faithful God, you know the pain we carry and the questions we are afraid to ask.

Teach us to come before you honestly.

Free us from the belief that faith requires us to hide our grief or pretend that everything is well.

Be near to those who are grieving, those facing illnesses or difficult news, and those whose prayers have not been answered as they had hoped.

Give us courage for today and sufficient grace for the next faithful step.

Make your church a compassionate presence.

Teach us to listen before we explain, to remain when others are hurting, and to bear one another's burdens with patience and love.

Fix our hope in Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection assure us that suffering and death will not have the final word.

In this holy name we pray.

Amen.

Now before we close, I want to remind you that my books, The Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, are available on Amazon.

Each book explores familiar words of our Christian faith and considers what they mean for our lives today.

You can find both books by searching Amazon for my name, Hoyt S.

Barrett Jr.

Thank you for joining me today.

If you do not have a church home, we would love to have you worship with us at Spray United Methodist Church, located at 803 Morgan Road in Eden, North Carolina.

We are a loving church where we love people and we love God.

Until next time, may the grace of God rise before you and keep you safe.

Goodbye.