Hope for the Best

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,  for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

– Psalm 43:5

It was a tiny investment that purchased hope for millions.

Haunted by the poor health conditions he encountered in the South Pacific during World War II, Dr. William B. Walsh persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to sell him a navy hospital ship for just $150. And with the help of corporate and private contributions, the SS Hope was soon born.

The Project Hope website reports that the refurbished vessel’s maiden voyage involved the training of local healthcare professionals and the delivery of medical care around the globe. Gradually, the private volunteer organization called Project Hope expanded its impact and spread optimism for better days ahead. And over the next 60 years, it worked behind the Iron Curtain to improve health services for Polish children, launch HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Africa, help victims of the Bosnian war, and provide humanitarian relief to those affected by Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesian tsunami.

Most of us have never personally experienced the devastation of a tsunami, the effects of an Ebola outbreak or the ravages of a civil war. But we’ve all felt from time to time like our situation had spiraled out of control. And maybe you feel like that today — and for good reason. 

But have hope: God has it covered.  

This is a fundamental truth that every Christ-follower should embrace. But one reason we don't always feel his influence is because we can't see the big picture. We don’t know the life-changing people and situations that he’ll introduce to our existence. We also don’t have his vantage point of knowing what’s around the corner and miles up the road. Moreover, it’s hard for us to see a greater purpose in our lives when we're going through the pain of unemployment, lingering illness, family problems or even death. But God is in control. And for those who trust and follow him, he offers this assurance:

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you,” says our Creator. “Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Has life become a tidal wave of depression and frustration? Don’t ever lose hope. God knows what we need — and he knows it long before we ask him for help. 

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,” we read in the book of Micah. “I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”