My Hope is Built

When I was a student, I hoped that I would score well for my national exams.

My days were spent pouring over practice papers, text books and revision guides. Other than the occasional moments of procrastination, I would devote the vast majority of my waking hours to studying, just for that chance of straight As. At one point, I would wake up at 4am to get a head start on my peers.

All this effort stemmed from my hope of receiving good results for my examinations.

But as the day of my examinations approached, there was one day where on the car ride home from school, a question suddenly popped into my head:

What if I get into a car accident right now and I can’t take my exam any more?

It was a random thought, yet it stirred something in me.

The thought of my hopes being dashed and of all my efforts seemingly wasted left a sour taste in my mouth. It is just as the Bible says– “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov 13:12a).

What then should we build our hope on?

Built on Shifting Sand

Oftentimes, because we are faced with the world and its material comforts on the daily, our hope becomes built on these comforts.

I hope that I can travel the world.

I hope to move into my dream house.

I hope that I can achieve financial freedom.

However, we often forget that such hope is like hope built upon shifting sand. We cannot be sure that we can achieve these hopes. Even if we strive for these hopes with all our effort, unexpected factors that we cannot ward off may arise such as a global recession or a sudden onset of illness.

In a war, soldiers do their best to prepare for the battle ahead in hopes of emerging victorious. But even then, they cannot be absolutely certain of their victory.

The horse is prepared for the day of battle but deliverance is of the Lord. (Prov 21:31)

Moreover, even if we do achieve these hopes, they will one day slip away from us just as sand slips through our fingers. For when we take our inevitable final breath on earth, we cannot take any of these hopes with us (Job 1:21, Ecc 1:3-4).

Built on the Rock

So what then should we hope for?

For Christians, we will probably give the textbook answer that we should hope in Christ because unlike shifting sands, He is unchanging and His promises are sure (Isa 55:11, Heb 10:23, Heb 13:8).

Not to mention, as the creator of all things, God has power and dominion over all things (Job 38 - 39). To Him, there are no unexpected factors that can throw off His will. (Job 42:2)

Yet it is important that these do not merely remain a textbook answer on our lips. It is important for us to reflect on whether these teachings have entered our heart.

Hoping in Christ can look: