Scripture Reading: Isaiah 65:21-22, 1 Peter 1:3
Learning to see what’s broken can feel like a discouraging task. But it needn’t be. Every broken situation is an opportunity to partner with God in hope.
Through his resurrection, Jesus offers what 1 Peter calls a “living hope.” God’s hope is alive – active, present, and adaptive to your particular situation. The darker and more intractable your problem, the more vibrant the hope you can find there.
The Biblical prophets lived in dark times, and yet they painted vivid pictures of what life would look like when restored to God’s design.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the hope that one day all work will be fruitful. One day, all people will enjoy the fruits of their labor. The people reading Isaiah’s words were oppressed and stymied in their work. But they took courage from Isaiah’s hope, and they used that courage to work towards fulfilling God’s plan.
Every instance of brokenness in your day-to-day life gives you an opportunity to partner with God. Your job is to identify the brokenness and ask God to show you what the hope of resurrection looks like in your unique situation.
Try this exercise in cultivating your holy imagination:
● Think of the most difficult situation in your life today. Identify what is broken. What has gone contrary to God’s design?
● Ask God to show you his hope for this situation.
● Imagine what this relationship / project / piece of creation would look like if completely restored to God’s design. Flush out all details in your mind. If this situation were completely healed, how would people interact with one another? What would the environment look like? How would you feel?
● Thank God for the living hope in Jesus’ resurrection.
Prayer: God, help me to live in hope. Cultivate my imagination to see you alive in every challenge in my life. Thank you for your resurrection.
Further Exploration: Read more about Isaiah’s hope for a restoration.
Author: Theology of Work Project
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