Hope In God
Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash
Hope Is Not Passive, But An Active Decision To Trust God
by Eric Elkin
We meet people in the course of our lives who shape us. These people are often unexpected guests who find a seat at the table of our existence. The power of the encounter with these guests is not fully appreciated until long after it has ended. The most profound speakers of wisdom are people we would never have sought out on our own.
A refrigerator repairman was one of my most memorable encounters. I share the lesson I learned from him all the time. A tough man in both appearance and reputation, he was a person who liked to push buttons. Whenever we spoke, he tried to get a rise out of me. When I was not phased by his words or topics of conversation, we developed a deeper relationship.
He loved to tell me how much he did not like the Church. His viewpoint is reflected in Psalm 42:10, “Where is your God?” I never tried to answer his question, and instead, I let him talk and get it all out. Until one day, he revealed the source of his discontent.
Jerry, the refrigerator repairman, was a combat veteran of Vietnam. According to him, he never minded the combat. His mindset was adults get mad and take their anger out on each other. He wished it wasn’t that way, but it is. He could not understand the impact of adult anger on children. Why did they have to suffer? They did nothing to deserve to be victims of war. How could a God, if there was one, let them suffer?
Why do children have to suffer from the anger of adults? Jerry’s question is fresh as I try to process the events surrounding another school shooting. I don’t have to search for an answer to the psalmist’s question; I know exactly why my soul is downcast and disquieted.
When I feel this way about the world, I remember what I told Jerry. Stop blaming God for what we do. God has given us everything we need to build and maintain a healthy and safe community where life is abundant for all. The problems we encounter, we create.
Adults choose inequality over equality. We choose not to share the food the planet produces, even though there is enough for all to eat. God did not poison the soil of Chernobyl, we did. Moses was given a simple law from God, do not kill. We decided to kill to stop people from killing.
Instead of blaming, let us start living as though our hope is in God. Hope is not some passive wish or dream for how things should be made better. It is to actively seek out how to live fully in the gifts of God’s spirit. Trusting in the power of listening and understanding. Believing that grace and mercy are powerful tools. And forgiveness and reconciliation are effective means for building peace. Then we will understand why the psalmist praises God.
Click to read Psalm 42
Reflection Questions:
When have you asked, Where is God?
How can living in hope be active?
What do you have the power to change?
Where do you need to change?