Hope's Eternal Source

Scripture

(Romans 5:5) ... and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Observation

These three clauses excavate through all layers of human experience. Shame describes the all-too-familiar results of humanity's best efforts, and hope is that awareness of fearful probabilities while still holding to a yearning for better results. Here, Paul tunnels backwards to trace the source of this hope that never fails. He uncovers each effect, each consequence, to discover its originating cause, the only irreducible cause of all effects: God is love. Isaiah predicted this gift that God's Holy Spirit would bring us: "They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (Isaiah 9:2).

Application (Personal)

Paul invited the Ephesian Christians: "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" (Acts 19:2). Later, he wrote to these same people, inviting them to continuously be filled with the Holy Spirit who constantly reveals God's love in every situation so we might have constant hope that springs to life as the Holy Spirit pours God's love into our hearts (Ephesians 5:1,2, 18). How amazing! At any time I can have unfailing hope as I let the Holy Spirit refill my heart with this awareness of God's love.

Application (Psychological)

Herein lies the difference between constricted psychological principles that deny God and a holistic psychology that views psychology as a part of God's creation. I contend that nothing else produces such substantive hope as effectively as the Holy Spirit's revelation of God's love for us individually and specifically. Interestingly, to the extent that as psychological interventions and values mimic and are consistent with biblical principles, they are effective (e.g., community, honesty, compassion, hope). These are principles have been constant through biblical revelation, though not fully disclosed until Jesus Christ (which, I believe, corrects the misrepresentation of God's revelation as described in the November/December 2009 issue of Psychotherapy Networker, pp. 73-74). To know reality of God's love, as Paul said, one receive it by faith--one must actually taste it to understand it (Psalm 34:8).

Prayer

Lord, thank You for giving Your Holy Spirit so that I, too, might walk in Your love. Your love really does fill me with hope ... and I've never been disappointed by either Your love or Your hope. I admit that sometimes I find Your love to be strong almost to the point of being scary. Your love sent You to the cross. Savior, I want to continue with You in Your love, no matter what it might cost me.