Living Intentionally in an Unstable World
Part 1 of an interview with Melissa Spoelstra,
Author of Dare to Hope
Looking at today’s world, hope usually isn’t the
first word that comes to mind. We live in a polarizing world where everyone is
taking sides over issues large and small, leaving us to wonder what the future
may hold. On a personal front, marriages fail, bank accounts run low, friendships
end, and the everyday demands of a fast-paced life get us down. However, what
the world is experiencing today isn’t all that different than what the prophet
Jeremiah experienced thousands of years ago, and as author Melissa Spoelstra
shares in her new book, Dare to Hope:
Living Intentionally in an Unstable World (Abingdon Press), God is calling
out to His people with a message of hope—a message that intentional living is
possible even in an uncertain world.
Q: Several years ago, you wrote a Bible study
based on the book of Jeremiah. What persuaded you to revisit Jeremiah and the
subject of hope in your new book, Dare to
Hope.
The message of hope continues to
resonate in our culture. We all have reasons for despair and are looking for an
anchor of hope to give some stability to our complicated lives. Jeremiah’s
message of hope isn’t a formula, but his writings provide greater insight into
God’s pathway to a deeper relationship with Him.
God’s message is counterintuitive
to the American way of pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. In the book of
Jeremiah, the Lord calls His people to surrender, listen, soften their hearts
and take personal responsibility rather than play the blame game. These truths
hit home as we muddle through our own circumstances and seek to be daring with
hope.
God spoke through His prophet
Jeremiah with clarity to a culture summarized by political globalization. The
Babylonian Empire brought people of different cultures together. Ancient Judah
also faced economic crisis because of their indebtedness to other nations. They
had to pay tribute to Egypt, and later Babylon, which left the country stripped
of its resources. Even with these economic issues, they struggled against
social materialism. Jeremiah said that from the least to the greatest, the
people’s lives were ruled by greed. On the religious front, people added other
gods to the worship of Yahweh leading to religious pluralism.
Hmmm... sound familiar? Political
globalization, economic crisis, social materialism and religious pluralism can
all echo into our day, albeit in different ways. Jeremiah’s message brings us
back to eternal truths about where our hope lies in troubled times.
Q: It’s easy to feel discouraged when
observing the looming moral bankruptcy of our culture. Should we get caught up
in all that is going on around us or should we divert our attention elsewhere?
I wouldn’t say we should get
caught up in it, but we live in this world. We have responsibilities as Christ
followers to spread God’s message of hope to others, so this means getting
involved with people. People are complicated and relationships can be messy, so
we are caught up in it whether we want to be or not. We can’t bury our heads in
the sand. But we also can’t become consumed with everything going on around us
and neglect our own ability to surrender to God through listening with a soft
heart. We need balance and perspective to zoom out a little bit and try to get
a glimpse of the God’s bigger picture. Jeremiah did this in his day by
listening to God. In the same way, we can focus our eyes on Jesus and ask Him
to give us vision as we navigate life in an unstable world.
Q: Remind us of some of the situations
Jeremiah had to deal with in his own life. Did he ever lose hope?
Jeremiah was referred to as the
weeping prophet because he brought a message that didn’t feel very hopeful. He
called the nation of Judah to surrender to Babylon. God used him as a
mouthpiece to tell the people how they had gotten off course with counterfeits.
His words and illustration were harsh. In response to this, Jeremiah was
ostracized from his family. He was imprisoned and beaten. At one point he was
lowered into a pit filled with mud. I can’t imagine Jeremiah felt hopeful at
the bottom of a pit. He voiced his frustrations and complaints to God even
stating that he wished he had died in his mother’s womb. We can relate to
Jeremiah’s bouts with depression and discouragement. Yet at the same time,
Jeremiah knew where to turn. He poured out his heart to God and rehearsed his
attributes. God reassured and encouraged him. Jeremiah chose to dare to hope
based on God’s faithfulness rather than the trials he experienced personally as
well as those of his nation. He wrote Lamentations and he said this,
“The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
I
will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
Yet
I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
The
faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great
is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I
say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!” (Lamentations 3:19-24 NLT)
Q: The most quoted verse from Jeremiah comes
from chapter 29, verse 11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the
Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a
hope.’” Why do we need to be careful not to misuse this verse or take it out of
context?
In the context of Jeremiah’s
message, he says that the people will experience 70 years of exile in Babylon
in the verse right before this one. He then tells them that God has good plans
that include a future and a hope. So, we can hold onto this verse! The danger
comes when we assume it means our circumstances will immediately turn around
and be easy. God said that for 70 years life would be disrupted, but then after
that, they would be restored. I chuckle when I see this verse plastered
everywhere during graduation season. Its like we are saying in 70 years things
will turn out okay. God’s hope is assured, but hope isn’t equivalent to easy,
comfortable or materially prosperous circumstances. The prosperity gospel
doesn’t work in Jeremiah’s economy, so we must understand this verse in its
context. God’s good plans and hope for the future aren’t just for material gain
but for spiritual blessings. We can bank on a rich relationship with God when
we surrender to Him, and that is a hope-filled message. Its worth daring
courageously to believe.
Q: You give your readers a little homework
after finishing each chapter. Can you tell us about the Dare to Hope Challenges?
Often when I read a book, I can
mentally work through the information, but often fail to take the next step of
evaluating how it applies in my life. The Dare to Hope challenges give the
readers a next step, to put feet to the truths mined from Jeremiah’s book.
Find her online at www.melissaspoelstra.com. She is also active on Facebook (@authormelissapoelstra) and Instagram
(@daring2hope).
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