“Keep Hope Alive: Strike The String of Hope”
At the end of his inspirational and moving speech delivered July 19, 1988, at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, the Reverend Jesse Jackson repeated three words that have become an iconic and encouraging message for those who struggle against injustice, racism, and oppression. Reverend Jackson said, “Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive! On tomorrow night and beyond, keep hope alive!” When Reverend Jackson offered words of hope, he was not suggesting that people engage in wishful thinking. Hope, when viewed from a biblical perspective is more than wishful thinking. In his explanation of hope, John C. Broger posited,
The hope that God has provided for you is not merely a wish. Neither is it dependent on other people, possessions, or circumstances for its validity. Instead, biblical hope is an application of your faith that supplies a confident expectation in God’s fulfillment of His promises. Coupled with faith and love, hope is part of the abiding characteristic in a believer’s life.
For Christians to “keep hope alive,” we must maintain our expectation that God will fulfill what He has promised us through His Word. As simple as it may sound, it is not easy for believers to maintain their constant expectation in God to manifest His promises, especially when confronted with circumstances that can potentially cause us to lose hope.
In a nineteenth century painting entitled “Hope,” the artist portrays a woman with bandaged eyes. She is unable to see herself. In her hands is a harp with broken strings, representing her shattered dreams and expectations. Immediately beneath the woman is a globe, representing the world that is pitted against her. Still, one string on the harp remains intact. It is the string of hope, which she plucks triumphantly, sending a beautiful melody floating out over that hostile world and filling the dark night with bright-shining stars.
Over the years, the artist received many letters from persons who saw the painting and identified with the woman whose future seemed as dark as the night. One woman said that when her life had become unbearable, she was ready to end it all, quite by chance she saw that wonderful painting. In her own words, “It inspired me to strike the string of hope within my soul — and I was able to face the world and try again.”
There are times when life can become so unbearable that we feel as though we cannot keep moving forward. We can encounter moments when life becomes dark and gloomy to the extent that we feel overwhelmed, and the enemy may even suggest that we give up. Sometimes we go through seasons when our hope is dashed and remaining hopeful about God’s promises can become extremely difficult. Without warning, our lives can become arduous to the extent that we are reduced to one string of hope. When we have one string of hope, the challenge is to make a melody of life from one string. Initially, the task can seem like an impossible challenge. Thus, the relevant question is, what does it take to make a melody of life with only one string?
If our melody is rooted in material possessions that are transitory, we may never make a melody of life. However, when our hope is rooted in Christ, He becomes the one string upon which we can always make a melody of life. Paul expressed this truth in Romans 5:2-5 (EVS) when he wrote,
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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.
Through Christ, we can “rejoice” and “hope in the glory of God” as we base our hope in something that is not of human origin. We keep hope alive and strike the string of hope by focusing on something and someone beyond this world. In 1834, Edward Moten shared a personal message of his commitment to striking the string of hope when he wrote,
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly leaning on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.
To keep hope alive, we must continue to strike the string of hope (Jesus Christ). When we place our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, He will never fail in helping us to make a melody of life, even during unfavorable circumstances.