True Hope v. False Hope

how our problems can point us to God

“In the world you will have tribulation…” ~ John 16:33

The problems of this world will always be with us — whether you’re talking about global and national level problems (e.g. the war in Gaza or racial tensions) or you’re talking about personal or family matters (e.g. health issues, finances, divorce, raising kids or grand-kids, etc.). Lately, I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit. There have been a number of deaths in the congregation I serve and there are a lot of strains on families that I care about. I’ve been in pastoral ministry for almost 29 years and I realize there is no end in sight to the problems we face. We will deal with the problems of this fallen world until the day we die. As our Lord said, “in the world you will have tribulation.” One would think such a statement would lead to pessimism, but it doesn’t. Rather, it leads to true hope, that is, hope in God. Let me explain.

Placing your hope in anything but God will be a false hope. Why is that? Because, in this world, our problems can only be addressed temporarily. For example, politicians, can make massive changes and talk about ending wars and making their nations great, but future generations will inevitably mess things up, restart old wars, and start new wars. That doesn’t mean we should give up on trying to fix the problems around us, but we need to think about the big picture. What can ultimately fix our problems? Certainly not us. Humanity keeps making the same mistakes over and over again and technology just allows us to make each mistake bigger than the previous. Here’s a more obvious example — doctors can prolong life, but they can’t give us eternal life. Of course, we’re thankful when a surgery or treatment is successful, but all we’re really doing is kicking the can down the road until the day comes that there are no more options. No more surgeries. No more treatments. When that time comes, where can we place our hope?

Likewise, money can get us things we want or get us out of debt, but one day money will not matter to us because we will run out of it or we will run out of life. Life is like being handed contract but not knowing the terms (one person gets $50K and 20 years another $900k and 40 years another 15 million and 94 years). Only God knows what the contract says for each of us, which is why the Psalmist says, “teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). The things of this world just don’t last. So again, where do we place our hope when we run out of money and life? When you think about these things, then you can understand the pessimism expressed in the book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 - "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes…

Ecclesiastes 1:14 - I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:1 - I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure;" but surely, this also was vanity.

Ecclesiastes 3:19 - For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 12:8 - "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity."

Eventually, the Preacher realized that the only God can provide true hope. God is the King of kings. No politician can accomplish the peace and prosperity that God will establish. God is the Great Physician. No doctor can heal everything, but God heals everything FOREVER. Finally, the resources we value on this earth are finite but God’s spiritual resources are endless. We have to fight to keep these truths at the forefront of our hearts and minds. These truths also give us the will to fight for what is right and not give up. Even when things don’t go the way we want in this world, we still have hope in God.

As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:1, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.” With our hope in God, we can realistically address the problems of this world — knowing that our solutions are temporary but God’s solutions are eternal. This is the understanding the author of Ecclesiastes came to and the reason he concluded his musings with these words:

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” ~ Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

To return to the verse we started with… Jesus didn’t conclude His teaching with a focus on the problems or false hopes of this world. Rather, He concluded His lesson with a focus on the true hope that He alone can bring.

John 16:33 - “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

God before government,

Rit