Hope. Recently read a line that caught my attention. The character in the novel I’m reading said, “I was high on hope…” There was nothing spiritual nor religious about her feelings, but it did remind me that hope can be very potent in its effect. A dictionary definition of “hope” is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. I’m not one to quibble with the dictionary, but it seems to me that, while hope can include expectation and desire, it also may include a desire without expectation. For instance, I may desire to lose 20 pounds in the next 3 months, but I don’t really expect to achieve that. As of this writing, the Tennessee Vols will be playing Alabama this afternoon. I hope that the Vols win. But in reality, hope without expectation is mere wishful thinking. Hope can be motivating. On the other hand, loss of hope can be devastating. Loss of hope can lead to all kinds of acts of desperation…or a complete cessation of action…giving up. The line was, “…high on hope…” It implies a positive feeling to the point of being uplifted, encouraged, light-hearted, and at it’s extreme, even unrealistic. Being “high” on drugs is characterized by lack of reason or rationality…out of control of oneself. But let’s not go to the extreme. Generally, a sense of hope is a positive thing. “High on hope” can be a good thing if the hope is accompanied by reasonable expectation. So, being high on hope can be an exciting place to be. But just as hope can cause a “high”, it can also have a calming effect. We have somewhat of a paradox. Does it make sense that being highly hopeful, with expectation of fulfillment, can allay anxiety? I believe so. The Bible is full of hope…but not in a vacuum. The hope of the Bible is not just wishful thinking or an exercise in positive thinking. There is an object of that hope…a reason for the “highness” of hope. That reason is God. But not just in the fact that there is a God, rather in the knowledge that He is a God of action. There’s even more hope than the fact that God created. Not only is God sovereign, He is also loving. He has acted upon that love in the providing of a solution to our sin problem, our lostness, our separation from a personal relationship with our Creator, caused by our rebellion. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (5) who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (5) who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1Peter 1:3-5) The words, “living hope” indicate that the hope we have is not a dead, lifeless, without grounds feeling. It’s a hope that we can expect to come to fulfillment. At once, that is both exciting and calming. In times like these, hope can be that which keeps us from despair.