Hope Flies Over

In the old days of warfare, whenever there was a wall or an obstacle between you and your enemy, armies would employ the use of catapults. They were very effective when you couldn't shoot straight ahead. In modern battles, the rocks and fiery objects thrown by catapults have been replaced by the mortar round, which are far more accurate and hundreds of times more effective. Despite the improvements of technology in war, the same principles apply -shoot something high in the air and let it come down on your enemy’s location, altogether flying over what’s standing between you and your target.

Following the same idea, the apostle Paul makes a profoundly inspiring statement when he said, “our present struggles pales in comparison to the future glory we have in Christ”. You see, hope functions the same way as mortars do. The same way the projectile round screeches far above the troops and equipments of the battlefield to hit its mark, hope flies over our present struggles and hardships, pass the dreadful events and disappointments, to make the connection to the future where peace, comfort, and joy is waiting.

Yet hope is not blind in its flight. Nor is it freely soaring, with simply a wish that it will hit its intended mark. Rather, as it takes off, it remains tethered to the strong, immovable character of God, much like a boat is tied to the security of the pier. We are only able to produce that kind of hope if the first central things have already been established – that God lives and He is active in the lives of His people.

Hope loses its potency when the questions of our own identity and purpose have not yet been answered. If God does not live and did not create me, then I am here as an accident. If I am an accident, then my life has no true purpose for existing. If I am not meant for anything and my life has no purpose, then what kind of hope can I produce about a future that I cannot see. There is no promise of relief for my struggles, no rest for my weariness, no joy at the end of my pain. Hope cannot take flight when it is weighed down by the possibility of an unrelenting struggle.

But praise God, it does fly! And once in the air, hope is the one singular thing that gives strength in the middle of sorrow. It launches itself over and passed today’s bleak condition, beyond the daily difficulties and with great accuracy lands at the foot of secure promises that give us so much endurance.

Hope is tenaciously persistent. It’s undeterred and resolute. It is blindly focused at what is coming, unaffected by any surrounding influences. But it is also very fragile, and must be securely guarded, because once it’s gone everything that hangs on it falls down too.

Mortars are most effective when they are targeted accurately. The process is extremely detailed and precise. Mathematical calculations work together with explosives charges to determine the exact place where the rounds will land. Likewise, hope is most powerful when it has a clear picture of the future. Yet the future is anything but clear. Praise God for the definition of faith- that we can be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, because we don’t simply trust on an impersonal future. Our hope doesn’t just take flight at a random direction. It flies back home to the One who first sent it. And as it flies we follow it, until it leads us back to our Lord Jesus Christ.

God Bless
March M. Villareal