Wednesday, July 23, 2003
|
Wednesday, July 23, 2003 |
|
Try letting hope rule your future By JOHN HATCHER This past Easter we hosted African children's choir called Watoto. Subsequently they sang for President and Mrs. Bush at the White House. Upon the President's recent visit to Uganda in East Africa, Watoto also sang. Watoto is sponsored by the Kampala Pentecostal Church in Kampala, Uganda. The choir is composed of children whose parents have died of AIDS. The church has accepted a visionary mission to provide housing, a caring foster mother, education, nutritional food and many worthy challenges to these children. As some of the children were telling their stories in our church this past Easter, the words of one little girl still echo in my heart to today: "we have no hope but the Lord." As these kids roamed the streets and pig trails of Uganda, their only hope, and perhaps unknowingly, was the Lord. Even now with a roof over their heads and a school to attend, their only hope is that the Lord will continue to inspire people to give, will continue to give the church the vision and heart to provide for their needs. Indeed, even now, their only hope is in the Lord. There's no will or estate they can fall back on. The government has no resources to care for all the abandoned children because of AIDS. Family members' homes already are full as they take care of the children of sisters and brothers who have died of AIDS. No hope but the Lord. Some of you are aware that God has placed on my heart a mission ministry to strengthen the families in Uganda through Scriptural teaching on marriage. In my four visits in the last six years, I see the truth: there's no hope for these people save the Lord. No amount of U.S. aid although greatly needed could do for these people what the Lord could do. He is the one who would give them the motivation to work; he is the one who would prompt their creative skills so the land could produce more and they could get their products to global markets. He's the one who could empower parents to have only the number of children for whom they can afford to care. Truly their hope is in the Lord. But that applies to you and me as well. Our immediate need may not be a shelter over our heads during these summer rains or our need may not be a decent meal after working all day. Our needs may go into relational areas or areas of self-examination and questions concerning the meaning of life. Our needs may be related to questions like if anybody out there really gives a damn about us. Our needs may center on why on earth are we on this earth. But, the Bible consistently provides the witness that our hope is in the Lord. Sure, faith is important. I believe. You believe. Millions of Americans believe in God, in Jesus Christ, and even in the Bible. But, there's more to it than just believing. In 1967 an important theological work was translated into English. It is the book, Theology of Hope by Jürgen Moltmann, originally written in 1964. In the introduction, Dr. Moltmann states: "Hope is nothing else than the expectation of those things which faith has believed to have been truly promised by God." The key word, for me, is that word "expectation." Hope expects. Faith believes, but hope expects. I can't see anything good around the corner, but hope expects something good to be there. I remember Oral Roberts used to remind us, "something good is going to happen to you today." As we look at all our needs and worries, perhaps we need to let our faith's animation called hope rule our faces, relationships, and prospects for the future. If a kid from Uganda rests her hopes on the Lord and sings her lungs out for him, why isn't it worth a try for you and me! John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive Fayetteville, Georgia 30215 770-719-0303 |
