Torch, Winter 2012

The proliferation of nonstop news only compounds the helplessness. And most news is bad news. Not because good things are not happening, but because higher ratings (and more money) go to programs that elicit emotional responses and a codependent need to “stay tuned.” When we feel powerless because of what is outside our control, we tend to believe and expect the worst. Aristotle said, “Men are swayed more by fear than by reverence.” Even Christians get swept away by the confident pronouncements of seemingly honest and spiritual leaders — but God does not speak in riddles. Jesus was clear when he said about the end times, “No one knows the hour or the day” (Mark 13:32). If we only look at the condition of our world, listen to the news, and watch the stock market, we can be overcome with uncertainty and fear. But we are called to be different. “We are not like those who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Hope is a confident expectation that what God has promised will happen. Hope is the driving force behind meaning in life and significance in purpose. You want to be countercultural? Live a life that exudes hope. I remember John Lennon speaking about the Beatles and their drug use: “The only time we took drugs was when we were without hope, and the only way we got out of it was with hope. If we can sustain the hope, then we don’t need liquor, drugs, or anything. But if we lose hope, what can you do?” The same happens when believers put their hope in the world; whether it be their wealth, their position, or even the teachings of a so-called prophet. Misplaced hope is just as paralyzing as misplaced faith. Hope: The Vertical View The Scriptures give us at least three practical truths about hope. First, hope is grounded in God’s future for us. “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened,” Paul wrote, “in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe” (Eph. 1:18–19). A second truth is that hope provides stability. When all around us is crumbling, we know whom we serve and what He has in store for us. This hope is “an anchor for the soul” (Heb. 6:19) that steadies us in times of uncertainty. Third, hope provides the will to persevere. Because we know what the future holds, we faithfully serve Christ until He returns. In other words, “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). C.S. Lewis sums it up best in this passage from Mere Christianity : If you read history, you will find that those who did most for the present world were just those who thought the most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither. I have a friend who taught me to end correspondence with the phrase: “Eyes on Him.” That’s the bottom line in our dithering world of uncertainty and pseudo-prophets. We know Who wins in the end. This gives us not only peace but motivation to continue to faithfully serve with joy and anticipation. Eyes on Him! Dr. William E. Brown has served as president of Cedarville University since 2003. He received his B.A. in mathematics from the University of South Florida and his Th.M. in theology and Ph.D. in biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of three books on worldview. Winter 2012 | TORCH 3