What the World Needs Now…

From the Desk of Cheryl Hauer

Sorry, this is going to be a long one, but I’ve just finished reading several “check out the news over morning coffee” sites, and I’ve come to a conclusion. Even though the old song would have us believe that the greatest need the world currently faces is for love (‘cuz that’s the only thing there’s just too little of), I disagree. What the world needs right now is hope. Just half an hour of reading the news is enough to make anyone depressed. It’s no wonder that officials today tell us hopelessness is a public health crisis. The number of people suffering from depression is increasing all over the globe, as many feel overwhelmed by an ugly and uncertain world that they are powerless to change.

We might think that all this hopelessness would lead to little more than a bunch of grumpy people, but the consequences are actually much more far-reaching. Today, experts suggest that living without hope contributes to mental illness. The opposite of hope, they assert, is not merely hopelessness but despair, a profound despondency that can drive some to suicide. Research indicates that individuals lacking hope are more likely to lead unhappy lives, struggle socially, perform poorly academically, and find it harder to cope with life’s challenges. Without the ability to envision the brighter future that hope offers, people often give up on trying to improve their lives because they feel powerless to change their circumstances. Those without hope often withdraw, losing their ability to engage appropriately with or contribute to their communities. Unfortunately, that feeling of powerlessness frequently results in more depressing headlines in our morning news.

Those same psychologists tell us that hope is an essential ingredient in a person’s mental and physical health, as well as overall well-being. Hopeful people are able to maintain a positive outlook despite the difficulties they encounter and the negative circumstances that surround them. They are more likely to succeed, perform better academically, and are less likely to experience anxiety or sadness. They possess a higher level of self-confidence and are less prone to self-doubt. Interestingly, studies have also shown that hopeful individuals have stronger immune systems. If they do become ill, they are better able to cope and achieve full recovery. Billy Graham was right when he wrote, “Perhaps the greatest psychological, spiritual and medical need that all people have is the need for hope.”

Like everything else, the solution to our current dilemma lies in the Bible. When we find ourselves in the position of knowing where we are and where we should be, but struggle to find the path from here to there, we need only remember the steadfast men and women of God who faced that same dilemma. They can help us discover the strength we need to keep moving forward.

Think of Moses’ complete mental breakdown in Numbers 11:11 15. He became so discouraged with the Israelites that he cried out to God: “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth…? And he finally takes a step over the line from anger and depression to despair when he says, “I am not able to carry all this people alone…If you will treat me like this, kill me at once…”

Moses wasn’t the only one. David, the greatest warrior and king in all of Jewish history, wrote much of the book of Psalms, where he continually revealed his moments of despair. “Why are you cast down, O my soul,” he cried in Psalm 42:11a. His despairing heart wondered why God had forsaken him (Ps. 22:1) or left him as a man with no strength, lying in a pit, abandoned among the dead (Ps. 88:5–7). Elijah, the prophet of prophets, became so despondent that he ran away into the desert, sat down under a broom tree, and begged God to kill him (1 Kings 19:3–4). Hannah, the mother of the biblical giant Samuel, was so despondent that her prayers became wordless, gut-wrenching moanings that sounded like someone too drunk to speak (1 Sam. 1:12–13). Job suffered extreme depression as the enemy of his soul brought catastrophe after catastrophe upon him. In his despair, he cursed the day of his own birth and wished he had never been born (Job 3:1–12). There were others as well, including Jeremiah (20:7–18) and Jonah (4:3), all of whom faced despair. Yet, they emerged with their hope intact, fulfilling the will of God for their lives and becoming examples of the power of hope for billions of Bible readers throughout time. 

They were able to do so because they understood hope in its biblical sense. In their Hebraic worldview, hope was not wishful thinking or simple, passive optimism. It was not a maybe thing; it was a sure thing. Hope was confident expectation, a strong expression of faith in the God who is the father of hope. It was a rock they could stand on. And so, our biblical heroes hoped when there was no hope, believed when believing made no sense at all. And in those moments when they succumbed to despair, God was there.

And He didn’t just pat Moses on the head and whisper, “Don’t worry, son, everything will be okay.” Instead, He provided Moses with guidance on how to lighten his load, how to move forward, and how to make things better. As Elijah stood on the mountainside amid storms and earthquakes, God didn’t say, “Just think positively, Elijah. Tomorrow will be a brighter day.” He asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13). Then He sent Elijah back to accomplish all that God had called him to do. Job was rewarded, yes, as he fathered more children, grew more crops, and tended more animals. Hannah continued to trust and to try until, at last, God gave her the son she had believed Him for. These biblical characters understood the difference between passive optimism and real hope that demands tenacity, persistence, and the courage to follow through on whatever God instructed them to do in order to make their hope a reality.

That’s what the world needs now: believers who are willing to live the lives David describes in Psalm 37, where he has written an “ode to hope.” Here, he speaks at length about the trustworthiness of God, His faithfulness to the righteous, His love for justice, and the beautiful future that awaits those who hope in Him. He also tells us what we should be like as we wait on Him. “Don’t fret,” He says several times, “or be envious. Delight yourself in the Lord, commit yourself to His ways, trust Him, and wait patiently for Him.” Don’t be angry; rest in the Lord and know that you know that you know that the future of the wicked will be cut off. At the same time, He will always be our strength in times of trouble; He will never fail to help us and deliver us because we hope in Him.

So be a beacon, radiating hope even in the most desperate situations. And when you experience those moments of discouragement, remember this: As God told the story of the formation of the earth and the heavens, He could have said, “There was morning and there was evening,” a phrase that makes sense to our human minds. But He didn’t. He said there was evening first and then morning. In His narrative, we are told that twilight will come and lead into deeper and deeper darkness until that inevitable moment when light dawns. Then, like an army on horseback, those rays will charge forth and defeat the darkness until light prevails and all is well again, demonstrating Psalm 18:28, "My God turns my darkness into light" (NIV). Every day serves as a living reminder of the power of hope in God.

Portions of this blog taken from Pastor Cheryl’s article entitled “Hope for a Hopeless World.” Read the full version at Bridgesforpeace.com

Blessings and Shalom,

Issachar Community

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