Core Scripture: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

Message: The Lord spoke to me last Sunday morning.  It was quite profound, and it came through a song on the radio.  I suppose I should explain …

Every year I choose a word of the year.  The word I pick is something I want to center my year on and revolve all of my New Year’s resolutions around.  A lot of times it is something I need to work on a bit.  Last year, my word was trust, and after a complete career change from teaching to Amazon, MAN did I need to trust! 

This year?  I was thinking about choosing the word hope.  But I wasn’t certain about it, and I hadn’t really prayed hard about it.  That morning I went to God in prayer, not really hearing an answer, but the answer was crystal clear in my car as I drove to my F3 workout. 

I had never heard the song, but the lyrics of Ellie Holcomb’s “Hope’s Gonna Find You” echoed through my entire soul.  My hand instinctively turned the volume full blast.

What if hope’s not a path that you chose
It’s the loss of control
It’s a landslide of losing my religion
Going blind to find my vision
I thought it was my job to know
Where the flowers would grow
When it turns out
The lightning and the thunder
The easy breeze of summer
Doesn’t feel like I’ve got control
What if hope’s not a rope you hold on to
What if it’s the arms that have always held you
On the edge when it feels like you’re not gonna pull through
Is the place you discover that hope’s gonna find you
Hope’s gonna find you

It was a God moment!  I mean, the song was timed perfectly, starting right after I got in the car, and it was the answer to my prayers!  All I had to do was listen.  And listen I did.  I saved the song to my playlist immediately upon arriving at Heritage Park, and told myself I needed to look up the lyrics to analyze them.

I finally get that chance.  Right here.  Right now.

Previously I had used the phrase cling to hope.  I even wrote a sermon about it one time to share with children at Kids TLC.  But now I see hope in a different light.  Hope is nothing that I choose.  It is, however, everything encompassed in the arms of Jesus.  He is my hope, and if I cannot embrace the hope He gives, it will amount to nothing.

I want to control my life.  Don’t we all?  Selfishly, I admit to making decisions without consulting the Lord.  Like this morning … I was sitting in my chair, getting ready to do my quiet time, and I was getting in a game of Ultimate Golf on my phone beforehand.  Priorities, Clint!  Come on!  I heard that voice, finished my game and opened the Bible app. 

Maybe your word could be control?  Or love.  Or any other number of words that come to mind like joy, obedience, positivity, patience, trust, self-control, listen, friendship, peace, purpose, alignment, action, or even rest.  God knows you better than you know yourself, so asking Him what your word should be through prayer seems logical.

Me?  I need hope!  If I gave up on hope, especially hope in Jesus, my life would be a train wreck waiting to happen.  I started brainstorming on my F3 ruck walk this morning with my buddies … what does this look like for me?  Where do I need hope?  How can I incorporate it into my life?

I need hope in so many areas.  My career.  My family, and even more specifically, my role as a father and as a husband.  My friendships.  My relationships with extended family.  My faith of course.  My ability to be a leader.  My dreams.  My hobbies.  My diet.  EVERYTHING!  They all need hope. 

Let’s just take one area and dive in publicly here.  The rest is probably for my journal.  I have struggled a lot with leading my family spiritually, but these thoughts about hope empower me.  I know I can lead my boys through a YouVersion plan entitled “21 Days to a Teenager’s Spiritual Change,” and even though couples devotions have not worked in the past, why not try something new? 

Or how about my diet?  I really lack self-control, but if I meal plan better, chart my calories more often, and limit my portion size, it shouldn’t be too had to start losing weight.  Right?  I want to get back below 200 pounds for the first time in I cannot remember how long.  All I know is that I don’t like the man I see in recent photos, and when I compare the man I am today to the man I used to be, pre COVID … well …

I NEED HOPE!

I will end by reflecting on one of my favorite movies of all time: Shawshank Redemption.  In the middle of the movie, Andy tries to explain to Red how important hope is.  He explains how the long time he spent in “the hole” was illuminated by the music of Mozart.  Not through the record player that played his favorite song, but rather through remembering that song in his heart.

Red isn’t having it.  Although appreciating his friend’s thought, he immediately shoots down Andy’s thoughts on hope in favor of his own thoughts.  To Red, hope is overrated.  If you are in prison, hoping to get out someday might mess with your head if it doesn’t come soon enough.  Hope is dangerous.  Hope disappoints.  Hope is better to extinguish before it drives you insane.

Both are equally valid thoughts.  If you fall on one side, don’t dismiss the other.  It might lead you to a deeper understanding of hope.  Red eventually does this.  He remembers everything Andy told him about what he should do after he gets out of prison.  He takes a bus to Buxton.  He finds Andy’s tree.  He opens the box Andy left behind.  And he finds Andy’s dream home in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.    

I had to watch that scene again.  I have seen the movie so many times, but I pick up different tidbits every time I watch it.  Much like reading and interpreting the Bible.  This time, it was the quote from the letter: “Hope is a good thing.  Maybe the best of things.  And no good thing ever dies.”

Red finally gets it!  He embraces the hope that his best friend, Andy, talked so passionately about.  In that moment, as he blindly searches the beaches, looking for his friend, Red finds Andy.  He KNOWS he will be there!  Just like we should all know Jesus’ arms are wrapping us in His perfect love.

I will close by saying this … There have been years when my word of the year really thrived in my life, and there have been years the word was forgotten midway through.  I fully believe the years it worked best were the years I allowed the Lord to choose my word for me.  Other years I chose a word that I thought was right. 

God always knows best.

Challenge: Pray for God to reveal the right word for 2026!  Write about that word as I did above, and if you are bold enough, share it on a reply below.  Who knows?  Maybe your word will elicit a spark in someone reading this!

Bible study: Journal about or discuss any of the following scripture about hope and how they apply to the theme above.

• “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
• “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
• “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)

Song application: “Hope’s Gonna Find You” by Ellie Holcomb

Just for fun: I was driving home from Starbucks this morning and saw a dead deer on the side of the road.  When I passed by, my voice whispered, “Oh dear!”  I didn’t even realize my pun until it clicked.  Get it?  Deer.  Dear.  Hey, it was somewhat amusing to me.  Not sure if it is to you.  Especially since it morbidly involves a dead deer.  Okay, I’ll stop.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the things you have done in my life over the past year.  Help me look back with You and discover the new word to propel me forward in 2026, growing me closer to You.  Amen.