Joy by Hope

“The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.” (Pr 10:28 AV)

Gladness is joy and pleasure.  Solomon’s suggestion is the faith of the saints will produce as such.  If we have no gladness, we have no hope.  It kind of figures.  If we know the end from the beginning, and the end is all good, then the middle should be livable.  It should be more than that.  Gladness is a byproduct of hope.  This does not mean trouble disappears.  What it means is in the midst of trouble, we can still have joy.  The Devil wants us to believe that our joy is circumstantially derived.  This is not true.  Joy is the result of truth.  Joy is the result of faith in that truth.  This may seem impossible from time to time.  How do you tell a saint who has just received a terminal diagnosis to have hope and be full of joy?  How do you tell someone who has lost a loved one to hope and have gladness?  How do you tell a child whose parents just divorced to hope and have joy?  This is not always easy.  But it is possible.

Note the empathic words ‘shall be’.  Not might be.  Not could be.  But shall be.  In other words, it is guaranteed.  There have been many patients in my history as hospital chaplain and pastor.  One of the most challenging yet rewarding is those who are coming off a serious injury or illness where they need to relearn a basic life skill.  Whether it is speech therapy or physical therapy, the work involved is daunting at best.  The patient can become easily frustrated.  There are many spiritual and emotional hurdles the patient must also overcome.  It could be guilt, doubt, fear, or confusion.  As they work through the reasons for their circumstances, the therapy that awaits hasn’t changed.  There are still drills to be done.  There are steps to be taken.  Somewhere along the line there is a benchmark that is reached that drastically changes the patient’s attitude toward life.  It could be as simple as walking the entire length of the parallel bars, turning around, and getting back to their chair.  It could be forming and saying an entire short sentence to accomplish a simple task.  When that step is successfully taken, even though there is much work to be done, gladness is the result.  Why?  Because they see the end.  They see what it is they hope for even though it is unreachable at the moment.  Knowing there lie possibility and change is the hope of the infirm.

We have a glorious future awaiting us.  This fallen world is not our home.  In the light of eternity, our life here is very brief.  Very brief.  Each day might be a struggle.  But there is coming an eternity where there is none.  Hope is so very important.  Hope produces gladness.  Take away a person’s hope and there is no joy to be found anywhere.  How to we get this hope?  We get it by reading and believing God’s word.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God.  That is what Paul tells us in Romans.  So, if joy is lacking in your life, the best remedy is Bible study.  Stop fussing against temporary situations and rest in the eternal promises of God’s word.  Our life is but a vapor.  It will soon pass away.  Our hope is not in what is, but what shall be!