For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. (Romans 15:4, ESV)
Have you ever given up in the middle of a round? You know, somewhere in the process of the struggle to find your swing, you finally “toss in the towel.” On the other hand, have you ever experienced early miscues and then recovered?
Early blunders create a watershed moment; we either fold like a paper napkin or find the resolve to endure an early “quad” to secure a positive outcome by the time we walk off the eighteenth.
Your round began with this uninvited nightmare. Yet you walk to the next tee with an internal motivational speech inside your soul, trusting things can improve.
Ever hopeful, you believe four or five birdies will get you back into the fight. Standing on the second tee box, you envision better moments waiting to greet you.
Refusing to give up, you search the archives of past experiences and find it: Eureka!—the one move you needed to find good form, and you are off to the races. The past gave you strength in the present in anticipation of a positive future.
Very few things are as enjoyable as getting off to an awful start and recovering from those early blunders to finish strong and post a number. No one enjoys early missteps, but they happen. Remembering you have recovered in the past bolsters your confidence in the moment for future success.
One of the more important things to note about developing a robust biblical hope is our need to look to the past. That might sound contradictory since hope, by definition, is a certain state of affairs we anticipate in the future.
A cursory glance into biblical hope quickly discovers that we look to the past to stand strong in the moment, knowing that the future is assured. How does this work?
As Paul writes to the church in Rome, he closes his letter by reminding them that what was written in former days (i.e., Old Testament) was written for their present encouragement so that “…we might have hope.” Did you get that?
Paul brings together the past, present, and future by tying them to the person and work of Christ the Lord. How does he do it? Paul reminds us that we are to look back to those moments when God kept his promises in the past to gain strength in the present, being assured he will keep his future promises.
The First Sunday of Advent celebrates the gift of HOPE! We enrich our lives by remembering the first advent—Christ Jesus appeared two thousand years ago in fulfillment of Old Testament promises.
As we look to the past and his first arrival to “…put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”(Hebrews 9:26), we simultaneously celebrate with inexpressible expectation his second appearance when “…the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 11:15).
As C. S. Lewis reminds us, “…the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, and the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven…Aim at Heaven, and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth, and you will get neither.”
As we approach the first Sunday of Advent, 2023, let’s stir our souls by remembering the past as it inspires us with unwavering confidence about the future.
Prayer: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, you are the same yesterday, today, and forever.