Story behind "Wait in Hope"
God promises to restore the world through Jesus. That brings me hope: someday, all will be right again… and where God is moving, it is becoming right again now. This is where my song, "Wait in Hope" (Lyric Video, Concert Video, available for download) came from. Wait in Hope is a vivid picture of what God is doing through His people now, and what we have to look forward to when God has finished making all things new. I got this "picture" from my thorough college studies of Scripture and eschatological worldviews.But how do we join God in that now? How do we bring this restorative hope into a pain-filled world?I wrote a book that discusses this in practical details, but here are some thoughts...I used to have this fluffy optimistic hope that if I followed my calling, I would change the world ...or at least the world around me. Blame it on my youth, the fact that I grew up in suburban America, or the church so eloquently inspiring teens to rise up... but that's how I saw hope: that somehow by me being willing to help, I could change so many people and situations to make life better for everyone...Enter reality.In ministry and social work, I learned quickly that the world is a big, beautiful mess. Although there is joy and beauty to be unveiled, a sin-filled world makes change very difficult. Systemic problems keep people oppressed. Heart issues keep people enslaved to their own sinful nature.I learned this hard lesson first within a close relationship. I was trying so hard for so long to convince someone to change, when I finally realized that there's actually nothing I could do on my own to change the person's heart. I had to pray for God to change it. I realized it was just my job to love this person as they were, in that moment. When I let go, I started to see God changing this person's heart and life.If I can't change people or situations much, I have to rely on God to do it. I have seen God make something good come out of even horrible situations.Change takes time. It takes relationships. It takes trust. It takes an acknowledgement that we can't fix everything. But it also takes an acknowledgement that things can get better, through Jesus.If we want to give people a glimmer of hope, we have to be willing to join people in the mess. We have to be willing to stay there, and trust that God will do something through us, as we listen and love. We point them toward Hope, toward the abundant life they could have, and walk with them toward it.Pain will always be in the world, and we can't change that no matter how hard we try. However, hope will always be here because of people's willingness to follow Jesus into joining others in the mess.So, when my lyrics speak of hope, I'm not talking about wishful thinking. I'm talking about a messy, painful, searching, trusting-God's-promises sort of hope. I hope you will join me in receiving that hope, and sharing it with others.