Introduction: 

These past weeks we have pulled out some essential tools from our spiritual toolboxes:  courage which helps us live with integrity from our hearts; our spiritual glue gun, stubbornness; openness with its handles of listening and learning; and thanksgiving that connects us to God and others with gratitude.  Our last tool is hope.  This tool has a surprising label on it. 

CAUTION:  This tool should only be used under God supervision. Huh?

Let’s begin by making a distinction between hope and hopes.  When we talk about hopes, we are talking about the things we wish for, what we want to receive or to have happen.  We all have hopes!  Hopes are vital in our everyday lives.  Hope is different.  When we hope, we don’t know what the outcome is going to be, or even should be, in a situation.  Like the child in this week’s scripture, we ask for bread or a fish, but we have no idea what we will receive in in our asking, seeking, and knocking. But we do know what we will not receive:  we won’t get a stone instead of bread; we won’t get a snake instead of fish.  This knowing is at the heart of hope.

This is why hope is a tool we use under God supervision.  We hope within the arms of God’s love.  We trust that God knows better than we do how a situation should play out or what we truly need.  Have you ever helped a child with a tool too big, heavy, and awkward for their little hands and strength?  That’s what it looks like to use our hope tool with God.  God holds our hands (and hearts) carefully and lovingly when we use this tool.  Prayer is necessary for hope.  We ask, seek, and knock in hopeful prayer, and then, we trust, wait, and rest in prayerful hope.