Hope - Genesis 8-11

It is easy to wish for something. Wishing and dreaming in our society could be a national pastime. We like to wish for things to happen; for things to come to past; for for things to come to us. But wishing is only that - a wish. Wishing, by definition, has very little substance to it. Hoping, in the Believer's life, on the other hand, is full of substance. An earmark of Biblical Christianity is the aspect of "hope.". We are encouraged to hope in what Christ has said and is doing for us (John 14:1-4). We are even encouraged to hope in our sorrow, differently than the unbelieving world (1 Thessalonians 4:13). In our story in this section we see Noah in the ark, surrounded by animals and family members. He sends out a dove, through a lone window, and the dove returns from it's second flight with an olive branch in his mouth. After over 150 days in the ark I would sense that Noad and his entrouage are anxious to get off their sea legs. When the dove returns there must have been a great sense of excitement to see that leaf. The leaf offered hope. Noah already had the hope of returning to dry land based upon God's word. But the leaf added to their hope. God provides hope to us based upon His Word. However, during our life circumstances He heightens our hope through the little circumstances of life. God directed that little dove to the exact spot on earth to get that exact leaf to encourage and embolden the hope Noad had. He does the same thing each day for us as we trust in His Word. His Word gives us hope and His interventions in our life each day via the Spirit's work fuels that hope. Hope in God.