Elaine Vitikainen
By John Evans
Many of us feel surrounded by crises at the moment. So much is out of our control. This can very easily breed despair and despondency. When people get discouraged and give up, crises can be destructive. But they do not have to be. Crises are never passive places. They are always a turning point, for worse or for good.
Our language plays a crucial role which way people turn. Leaders in times of crisis need to choose words carefully. People need to be encouraged in a crisis. So leaders need to impart hope. But a hope that is so much more than superficial wishful thinking. We can pray for language that is ‘pure, full of grace and seasoned with salt’ (Zephaniah 3).
Genuine hope does not flinch from fear and the pain in the storms and harsh realities around us, but refocuses our eyes on the living God. After all, it is God who makes ‘the Valley of Trouble into a door of hope’ (Hosea 2:15). So the Psalmist says “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more” (Psalm 71:14 ). And today we are still called to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
This week, what does it mean to you to rejoice in hope?
How can you communicate to others with words of hope?