The Thrill of Hope
'Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.' Proverbs 13:12
The Christmas carol 'O Holy Night' includes the well-known lyric 'A thrill of hope... the weary world rejoices'. And oh, what a weary world we are living in. The headlines (if you dare to read them) are full of woe which I refuse to give any more airtime here. You know them, the broken people involved in them and the pain caused by poor decisions and unthinkable actions.
In the face of such dire worldly circumstances, what dare we hope for? And how on earth can we hope for long without becoming 'heartsick'?
'Hope springs eternal.' 'False hope.' 'Keep hope alive.' 'Hope in vain.' 'A glimmer of hope.' 'Hope against hope.' These four little letters carry a depth and breadth of meaning. The hope for good weather. The hope for no traffic on your commute. The hope for good health or a change in a medical diagnosis. The hope for a child. I, and I expect you, have experienced hope in all these and more.
But what is this 'thrill of hope' that the carol speaks of? Hope often feels costly, uncomfortable and drawn out, but not thrilling!
This 'thrill of hope' is not a cheap thrill, and it doesn't suggest the mere excitement of being 'thrilled to bits' by something. Perhaps it's more like the thrill of waiting for something good; like a child counting down to Christmas Day, or the sweet anticipation of a loved one arriving home after a long absence.
In his 1834 hymn, Edward Mote wrote, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name."
So this thrill of hope isn't a glimmer. It isn't in vain and it isn't fleeting. This thrill of hope rests on a person. It's built on Him and what He's done for us. It IS Him. The thrill of hope is Jesus.
While the world continues to reel painfully from crisis to crisis, from hopeless situation to hopeless situation, we can choose to build our hope on Jesus; and experience the thrill in counting down to the celebration of His birth at Christmas.
What are you hoping for this Christmas? And how thrilling is it to wait for?
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