Hope is an animating force, energizing us to strive for the fullness and fulfillment of our faith: glory. More precisely, “the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ,” which we share by faith (2 Thess. 2:13-14). In Jesus, we are glorified, our lives revealing the splendor of our Father’s lineage in the delight of His affection and desires.
“The promise of glory,” that invigorates our daily efforts of faith, is, says C.S. Lewis, “the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ, that some of us, that any of us who really chooses, shall actually survive that examination, shall find approval, shall please God. To please God…to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness…to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son—seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.”
Because it is so, hope compels us towards the fullness and fulfillment of what is promised, a life pleasing to our Father. And so we pray in faith for all we need for such a life today—a prayer from Colossians 1 for ourselves, our faith family, and our friends in Jesus.
Father, give us wise minds and spirits attuned to Your will. With hearts attuned to Yours, let us acquire a thorough understanding of the ways You work. May we live well for the Master, making Him proud as we work hard in Your garden. Father, as we learn more and more how You work, let that knowledge shape how we do our work.
Grant us the strength to strive with hope for the long haul—not a grim strength of gritted teeth, but the glory-strength that Jesus gives. Your strength endures the unendurable and spills into joy.
Thank You, Father, for making us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that You have for us.
In Jesus, our hope of glory, we pray. Amen.