Whispering Hope

Soft as the voice of an angel, Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion whispers her comforting word:
Wait till the darkness is over, Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow, After the shower is gone.

Chorus
Whispering hope, oh how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.

If, in the dusk of the twilight, Dim be the region afar,
Will not the deepening darkness brighten the glimmering star?
Then when the night is upon us, why should the heart sink away?
When the dark midnight is over, Watch for the breaking of day.

Hope, as an anchor so steadfast, Rends the dark veil for the soul,
Whither the Master has entered, Robbing the grave of its goal.
Come then, O come, glad fruition, Come to my sad weary heart;
Come, O Thou blest hope of glory, Never, O never depart.

This particular hymn is rather obscure.  Even though my mom said “Oh yea!!” when I asked her if she knew it, I was unfamiliar with it, and haven’t seen it in too many of my hymnals.  I first listened to a version by the Gaither Homecoming choir, and was impressed by the lyrics and the tune.  I got confirmation that I should do this particular song this past week at the His Hands Extended devotion when we sang it during prayer time – Thank you Max and Joe. 

Hope is one of those unique words.  It is one of those words where you almost have to use the word Hope to define the word Hope.  I did find an interesting definition of Hope at www.dictionary.com.  One definition is “a person or thing in which expectations are centered.”  Boy, isn’t that true?  Doesn’t this apply well to Christians?  Is Jesus where we are centering our expectations?  If so, then we are a people of hope. 

Couple of phrases that I wanted to highlight:

• “Hope with a gentle persuasion” – I found it interesting that the author uses this phrasing to describe hope.  It is not “Hope with a shove out the door” or “Hope with an arm twisted tightly.”  No, Hope is that gentle nudge that tells us to keep pushing, to keep fighting, and to keep trusting.  Hope is a constant optimism that tells us – things will get better, God is in control, I know where I am going, and I know who holds the future.  Hope is that reminder to quote Scriptures during tough times in our lives.  Scriptures like “I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”  Or “All things work together for good to them that love God.”  Hope gently whispers to us in our moments of desperation, and reminds us that God is still on the throne.
• Light/Darkness contrast – I really like the imagery in the second verse contrasting light and darkness.  The author uses a couple of different illustrations to communicate this contrast.  For many of us that have visited the Lost Sea in Sweetwater, Tennessee, we probably have experienced true darkness – pitch blackness.  If you have been to the Lost Sea, you will recall the tour guide taking you deep inside this cave into a large room.  They then turn off the lights, and you truly cannot see your hand in front of our face.  But when the lights come back on, it is amazing how bright they are.  We only recognize the true brightness of the lights by experiencing true darkness.  I think the author of this hymn does a great job in showing us that in the “dark” times, God has the opportunity to shine brighter, and we have the opportunity to worship His glorious light.

I am sure you have heard, and probably used, the phrase “Don’t get your hopes up.”  As a parent, I know I have told my kids this many times.  Kids tend to get extremely excited when they think they are going somewhere special or getting to do something special.  They also get bitterly disappointed when they can’t do what they had wanted.  That is why wise parents remind children – “Don’t get your hopes up.” 

But as Christians, we should not only get our hopes up, but we should keep our hopes up.  Many of the Psalms remind us where our hope comes from.  No, it is not in the fullness of our bank account.  Our hope does not come from a Doctor or on an MRI report.  Our hope is in the Lord.  He is the source of our Hope.  We can have hope because of who we know.  We know a God who is good, faithful, and sovereign.  We have hope because we have a God who keeps His promises.  

I found a Proverb that I wanted to close with today.  I pray the Holy Spirit will “whisper” to you as you read this truth and promise found in Proverbs 23:18 “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

If you aren’t familiar with the song, here’s a youtube link.