#31 Biblical Hope That Transforms Mental Wellbeing

Sunday LivestreamBecoming Whole

15 Jun

Written By Will Sopwith

YouTube Video of the Church Service

Time Stamps

00:00:00 - Welcome to Crowd and introduction to Hope
00:02:00 - Talk begins: Biblical Hope That Transforms Mental Wellbeing
00:07:00 - The Chilean miners' story: A powerful example of hope
00:14:00 - Biblical hope vs wishful thinking: Hope as an anchor for the soul
00:17:00 - How suffering can strengthen hope (Romans 5:3-4)
00:21:00 - Dealing with the absence of hope in everyday life
00:28:00 - Conversation Street: Practical ways to maintain hope in difficult times

Biblical Hope

We all know what it feels like when hope seems in short supply. Whether it's the weight of a difficult situation or just those inexplicable "black dog days" when motivation drains away, hopelessness can cast a long shadow over our mental well-being.

In this weeks Crowd Service, Will Sopwith takes us on a journey to discover what true biblical hope looks like – not as wishful thinking, but as a transformative anchor for our souls.

The Camp of Hope

Will begins with the extraordinary story of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster, where 33 miners were trapped 700 metres underground after a catastrophic collapse. As families gathered at the mine entrance, a makeshift community formed – soon named "Camp Esperanza" (the Camp of Hope).

"Hope, what an immense word. It's just fizzing with optimism and expectation. It translates what is difficult and dark to what might be," Will explains.

For those miners, hope wasn't just a nice feeling – it was survival. Ten days after the accident, officials began to assume the worst. With supplies expected to last only three days, and fresh water quickly depleted in the 30-degree heat, it seemed impossible anyone could still be alive.

Yet even as hope seemed to fade, one family member declared on television: "We are not going to abandon this camp until we go out with the last miner left."

This determination highlights something crucial about hope – it can be exhausting to maintain alone. We need community. We need others to speak hope when we feel none.

Biblical Hope vs Wishful Thinking

Hope is everywhere in our culture – from advertising to politics, sports to social campaigns. But biblical hope offers something fundamentally different from the "cross your fingers" variety we commonly experience.

1 Peter 1:3 describes it as a "living hope" that we're born into through Christ's resurrection:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

This hope is alive – it grows, develops, and reproduces. And unlike wishful thinking, it's rooted in evidence – the victory over death itself.

Hebrews 6:19 depicts hope as "an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Will explains: "No matter how the current changes, the wind direction shifts, the waves crash – hope anchors us in place. We're not victims of changing circumstance thrown this way and that by the next thing that happens."

Hope That Grows Through Suffering

Perhaps the most counterintuitive aspect of biblical hope is that it often strengthens through hardship. Romans 5:3-4 tells us:

We glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

While our natural inclination might be to avoid suffering at all costs, Scripture suggests that our darkest moments can be where the most genuine, most real hope takes root.

The miners demonstrated this principle. Even as conditions worsened, they organised twice-daily prayer meetings. As one miner later explained: "We came to the conclusion that though we had lost everything, we hadn't lost the possibility of prayer."

On day 17, against incredible odds, a drill broke through to their refuge chamber. The miners had attached a note: "We are well in the refuge, all 33 of us." The impossible had happened – they were alive.

Hope as a Discipline

Will emphasises that hope isn't just a feeling – it's a discipline to practice. It requires us to look beyond what's seen to what's unseen, as 2 Corinthians 4:18 instructs:

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

This means intentionally extending our time horizon beyond current difficulties, viewing them as temporary conditions rather than permanent obstacles. It means deliberately choosing to anchor ourselves in God's promises when everything seems to argue against them.

During Conversation Street, Will shared a practical suggestion for cultivating hope: "A number of years ago, I set up a WhatsApp group for friends that I knew I could send a little plea to when I was feeling desperate. I didn't expect anything particularly from them... I just knew that I needed it not just to be me."

Hope for the Hopeless Days

Will concludes with honesty about those "black dog days" when hope seems strangely absent – days when there's no particular crisis. Still, motivation drains away, and even being around optimistic people feels oppressive.

"This is where the anchor is so important," he explains. "Whether you're physically aware of the anchor or not, it's there. Whether the sea is calm or the waves are tugging at you, the anchor is there. Whether you have the strength to change your situation or not, the anchor is there."

Sometimes all we can do is allow ourselves to be anchored, to be held until a new dawn breaks. As Lamentations 3 reminds us, God's mercies are new every morning.

Will closes with Paul's prayer from Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

What We Learned in Conversation Street

During Conversation Street, Dan and Jan explored practical ways to maintain hope during difficult times:

Be Honest About Hopelessness

"Sometimes we just say, 'God, I'm in this, this is the truth,'" Dan observed. "I am angry, I am stuck." Acknowledging the reality of our situation is the first step toward finding authentic hope.

Will added: "There's something helpful about getting to the end of your resource and acknowledging that... once you've acknowledged that, there's almost a freedom to [say], 'Well, something outside of me needs to happen here.'"

The Difference Between Christian Hope and Wishful Thinking

Dan highlighted how differently Christians understand hope: "In the UK, outside of Christianity, when we say 'hope,' we could put 'wish' in there every time... Oh, I wish my job would be better. Oh, I hope my job would be better."

But biblical hope isn't wishful thinking – it's solid, steadfast, and anchored in God's character and promises.

Community Carries Hope When We Can't

The team emphasised how crucial the community is when our personal reserves of hope are depleted. Jan shared: "I've known that feeling of hopelessness at times... it's dark. And as you say, you don't want to be near cheerful people because that almost hurts more. But equally, God doesn't want us to be alone in those places."

Will suggested creating support systems before a crisis hits: "In a time when you're not desperate... have some tools available, have some verses available, have a Bible, have friends that can speak hope when we have none."

Small Acts of Hope Make a Difference

Dan shared a powerful story about a boy who had planned a school shooting but changed course after someone simply noticed he was hurt and offered help. This reminds us that sometimes the smallest gestures can bring hope to someone in darkness.

"It doesn't have to be something big," Dan reflected. "Those little things can make such a difference."

Whether you're currently walking through a dark valley or standing on the mountaintop, we all need this living hope that Christ offers. It's not dependent on our circumstances, but anchored in who God is and what He has promised.

If you're feeling hopeless today, reach out. Share your struggle with a trusted friend, pastor, or mental health professional. And remember – the anchor holds, even when you can't feel it.

Join us next Sunday as Anna Kettle explores the biblical concept of Sabbath and what true rest looks like in our busy modern lives.

Biblical Hope That Transforms Mental Wellbeing
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[00:00:00]
Welcome
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Dan Orange: Welcome to Crowd. Welcome to Livestream Today. Today I am joined by the lovely Jan Birch. Yeah.
Jan Birch: Hello.
Dan Orange: How are you, Jan?
Jan Birch: Yeah, I'm very well. Thank you. Have you had
Dan Orange: a a good day? Yeah,
Jan Birch: I've had a great day. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah.
Dan Orange: Yeah, it's been nice. It's been well and still is Father's Day in the uk. Mm-hmm. So I've been spoiled very much Yeah.
Today of
Jan Birch: I'm glad to hear it. Yeah.
Dan Orange: B breakfast in bed and a steak waiting for me. Ooh. Yes. Lovely. Um, yeah, so shout out to all the dads out there that are enjoying this. Yes. And also to those dads that this is perhaps a really hard time. So, sure. Bless you guys. Whichever situation you are in. Mm-hmm. Um, we've got a great lineup.
We have, so we've, we've, you've, I've introduced you to Jan and we've got the wonderful Will who's gonna be talking on Hope. Yeah. Which [00:01:00] I. Great topic. We all need it. Yeah. It's a, yeah. A wonderful title. I'm really looking forward to this. Yeah. Because I love that it, well, I don't wanna spoil it for what's, what Will's gonna say, but I'm sure, um, there'll be lots of questions and if you have got questions, please put them in the comments.
Yeah. Um, we just, yeah. Wanna be able to try and answer them to discuss them. Um, and so me and Jana will Yeah. In Conversation Street will be discussing those. Yeah. Yeah. So I think without further ado, yeah,
Jan Birch: over to you. Will, let's pass
Dan Orange: over to To Will. Yeah.
Biblical Hope That Transforms Mental Wellbeing (Will Sopwith)
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Will Sopwith: Thank you very much. What Gen Teel hosts you are?
One August afternoon high up in the Atca Desert of Northern Chile, there was a sound that every miner dreads the sound of falling rocks. Soon after a massive [00:02:00] explosion shook the dusty landscape and a block the size of a 45 story building. Finally came loose underground and came plunging and crushing down through causeways and caverns, and began to bring the mountain down in on itself.
Collapse the mountain where all the mine workings had been. There were 34 men on the shift that day, and only one of them came out alive to the surface As the dreaded news spread, relatives of the missing men began to gather at the mouth of the mine shaft, sleeping in cars, waiting, praying, haranguing officials for any news of a rescue attempt.
Two days later, there was another collapse down inside the [00:03:00] mine sending shutters through that fragile growing community. As the days wore on, friends began to bring tents and supplies, and a mini village began to be built around that mine shaft. There were officials, there were mine workers, there were rescuers, and of course, the families and journalists began to gather to it was soon named the Camp Mento.
Esperanza, the Camp of Hope. Hope, what an immense word. It's just fizzing with optimism and expectation. It translates what is however difficult and dark to what might be. It's the silver lining on every cloud. It's maybe the feeling that brings you outta bed in the morning. At times, [00:04:00] it's als also the last line of defense when we're desperate, when everything looks bleak.
It's a glimmer that binds desperate people together in trouble, and it's at the same time, not only an automatic response to trouble, but it can also be a real devastating blow to our wellbeing when it's taken away. When it's dashed. Hope is powerful. It is perhaps no surprise, that hope is the theme of countless advertising strategies, whether it be, uh, beautiful skin, fun with friends, sunny beaches.
It's also the premise of social campaigns for change, like, uh, like climate change, alleviating poverty. And of course, it's often the theme of political campaigns and people trying to get elected hope for change. [00:05:00] And hope, of course, is the very currency that keeps sports fans coming to every race and every game again and again in the hope of a result and hope is attractive.
I'm sure you can think of somebody, maybe a friend or a family who's always seems to have that optimistic outlook that always is kind of speaking hope. Whatever the situation, ready to give, um, a positive spin on everything. Maybe you can also think of someone who's maybe the opposite of that, maybe a little bit more pessimistic.
Someone who tends to squash the hope rather than, uh, allow it to bloom, downplay anything positive. I'm a little bit like that at times, I have to say. And I think as people, we have a natural draw to those kind of optimistic people, don't we? They make us feel better. We wanna feel hopeful. We want to be with those that energize us rather than squash us.
We're [00:06:00] talking in this series about becoming whole and transforming our mental wellbeing, and it's been a fantastic series and I do encourage you to, to look back, um, at some of the different, uh, recordings that are raided online. And I suggest that hope is a vital ingredient to that mental wellbeing. And it's not just a specific hope for a specific situation or dream, but actually a kind of more general sense of hope.
I know in my own life what the absence of that general Hope can feel like, and it's an absence that can so easily shadow first our thoughts and then it goes to our feelings and actually begins then to affect our decisions and our actions. Staying in a place of internal hopelessness is actually a dangerous place to be.[00:07:00]
And for those South American families camped out in the at desert, that cycle must have felt so very real. The miners would've only had three days worth of supplies down in the mine,
and that's if they'd survived the accident at all. There would've been some tinned fish and some dried biscuits and some milk that were very quickly gone off in 30 degree plus heat down there. But even more crippling would've been the lack of fresh water. Maybe only a day's worth. Multiple probe channels were being cut through the rock away from the main shaft to stop any more collapses.
Um, trying to find any signs of life or perhaps bodies.
10 days after the accident, officials began to assume the worst. Surely any survivors of the explosion would've died of [00:08:00] hunger and thirst by now. But they were reluctant to share this news with anyone because the, the sense of hope was so fragile already, and the media attention was now growing. It was expensive to keep drilling, to keep searching.
Perhaps the waning of hope was beginning to affect the way the rescuers were thinking about the task about how to handle the incident was this becoming a search for bodies rather than survivors, but at this time, an emerging leader amongst the families who had a brother in the mine said. On tv. We are not going to abandon this camp until we go out with a last minor left.
I wonder what impact that made on the ongoing effort. It can feel exhausting, maintaining hope against [00:09:00] hope. As the saying goes, when we're on our own, we need. Community. We need others to give a different perspective. We need those spoke people. Sometimes we need those that can speak hope, even if we feel none.
Sometimes we just need a safe space to express the fact that we feel no hope that it's faltering and allowing others to carry us. If you are aware that hope is lacking in your life, I would urge you to be honest about it. Even to a complete stranger. I remember reading a very touching account of a young man who had come across all sorts of difficulties in his life, to be honest.
I forget the detail. And he was, he'd hired a car and he was setting out into the desert, uh, on a couple of a day trip, and he planned to end his life. He stopped for petrol at a tiny place. And got chatting with an old [00:10:00] guy that was just sat in a plastic chair outside the gas station. He mentioned some of his situation as he was filling his truck, but he didn't talk about his intention.
But this guy must have picked up a sense of, of despair and hopelessness in this young man, and he simply ended the conversation with, you're gonna be okay. You know? And as the young man drove away, those simple words of hope completely transformed that journey to the point that he wrote then later on about it.
But in the end, of course, the important question is, what is our hope in the Bible describes a gift of living hope in one Peter one. Verse three. It says, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his [00:11:00] great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Hope as described in the New Testament is one of new beginnings, but also of lasting change, hope in Christ. It's alive, it grows, it multiplies, it reproduces, it develops all the things that living things do. And being born into it is like being born into a family. We're not alone. We become part of a community, a community of hope
amongst those gathered at the mount mouth of the Santa mine. There were certainly those who shared this living hope. I don't think they truly believed the authorities or the engineers had it in their gift to do the [00:12:00] miraculous. Sure, they had a part to play, but ultimately there was a lot of Prayer going on.
14 days after the explosion, one of the drilling probes finally hit a ca a cavern, which was hope. Whereas hope that any survivors might have safely escaped to. There was no sign of life at this point. Hope in the process, hope in the skill of the search team. Hoping the wishful thinking of life remaining 11 days after supplies ran out must have almost diminished.
How do you maintain hope when every circumstance argues against it and what you hope for seems impossible.
Hebrews six verse 19 Describes hope in Christ as an anchor for the soul firm. And secure. It [00:13:00] says God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul firm and secure. No matter how the current changes, the wind direction shifts, the waves crash.
Hope anchors us in place. We're not victims of changing circumstance thrown this way in that by the next thing that happens, we are rooted, secured in a perspective that lifts up rather than squashes us down. That's the hope that God offers. It's not a cross your fingers hope for the best kind of wishful thinking.
It's far more solid and established and it's not a false comfort with no actual basis in reality, it's rooted in the evidence for the very conquering of death. It's self. The core of Christian faith[00:14:00]
on day 17. During perhaps one of the final search attempts, the drill broke through to another chamber, 700 meters underground. The impossible happened. There was a tap tapping on the drill bit that could have only been somebody deep underground tapping it, vibrating its way back to the surface. As the drill was withdrawn, there was a note scrolled in felt tip attached to the drill bit.
We are well in the refuge, all 33 of us for six hours After the explosion, the mine underground was filled with thick dust in the darkness. And as it settled, the surviving miners began calling out to each other until they'd gathered all 33 alive and well, except for the [00:15:00] one guy that managed to escape to the surface.
After the first day, it was clear there was no way out. All the rescue shafts had been blocked by the fall. So they began to make a plan. They went to the refuge and planned their survival. They plundered the batteries from crushed vehicles that were underground in the mine for light. They also drained the vehicle radiators for what couldn't exactly be called fresh water, but water at least.
And they set a strict rationing that would last 16 days. A spoonful of dried fish, of tinned fish, and a dry biscuit. They soon also organized twice daily Prayer meetings. And the guy that organized this said, afterwards we came to the conclusion that though we had lost everything, we hadn't lost the possibility of Prayer.
There was no human way out. We had to dedicate ourselves [00:16:00] to Prayer. The worst moment for the miners was on day 10 when they could hear one of these exploratory drills approaching them, but they could hear it going past unreachable through the solid rock. It was terrible. Everyone thought the people outside would think we were dead.
We knew they couldn't keep on drilling 'cause of the expense. We knew the mine could still collapse at any moment. Some of the men began to think there was no hope, one or two despaired, and began to write farewell letters. I said, no, don't do this. Let's pray. Trusting God, two Corinthians four 18 says Therefore, we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly, we are wasting away yet inwardly, we are being renewed day by day for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them [00:17:00] all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen as temporary. But what is unseen is eternal
knowledge and understanding and experience can at times be a real killer of hope. The miners knew what would be happening to find them. They knew the protocols, they knew the drill, they knew the expense. It was the knowledge that actually dampened their hopes. But God calls us to look past the scene, the tangible outcome of our situation to the unseen, a mysterious, eternal outlook that actually renews us in our hearts day by day.
The hope we receive from God extends the time horizon far beyond our current difficulties. It enables us to partition off the current situation and see [00:18:00] it as, no, this is a point in time, but not forever. We can limit the impact of our feelings rather than projecting them forward to cast a shadow on everything else.
And, and this has got real roots in psychology. That ability of optimistic people, uh, to almost to rationalize, no, this is a situation, this is not now everything.
To be able to step back from any despair or disappointment we're feeling and see it in the context of our whole life and beyond. Introduces the idea of, of hope being a, a discipline to practice. It's not just a feeling to experience like the minor organizing the Prayer meetings. He recognized the need to push through that low point to put in place something more than the increasing, fragile feeling of hope.
That's hard work, but it highlights another surprising [00:19:00] aspect of hope in the Bible. The idea that hope actually grows and develops in hardship. In the letter written to the church in Rome, which was a group of believers who were constantly harassed by the Imperial Roman authorities, um, under a lot of pressure to give up and renounce their faith.
Paul wrote this, Romans five verse three. We glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance, character and character. Hope we perhaps might be tempted in our time to avoid suffering. It's quite a reasonable thing to do. In a desire to protect hope. We perhaps might be tempted to, sorry.
Actually, what the reverse might actually be true. That is [00:20:00] in our very darkest moments, a truer, more real hope takes root. To be honest, I've known both hopefulness being much stronger when everything's going well, but also at times an inexplicable hope in situations that could be described as suffering.
The important point here again, is that it's not necessarily our ability that generates hope. It's a gift from God that we need to take hold of by reminding ourselves of God's perspective.
As the drill approached on that 17th day, an amazing thing happened. The maps being used to locate the refuge, it turned out were wrong. The drill was very probably gonna miss again. Perhaps that was the last hole to be drilled because nobody on the surface knew that any honor had survived at this point.
But as it approached, it glanced off a section of harder rock and just subtly changed its [00:21:00] direction so that as it went down, it pointed to a passageway just off the refuge where the men were.
I'm absolutely sure the ongoing Prayer of so many involved with absolutely nothing more to give affected that outcome. By now, the search was international news. You may well remember it. And the prayers in the dark. Of those 33 miners and their families were joined by thousands around the world, all looking on holding their breath just to the point that their supplies ran out.
This narrow exploratory channel enabled the supply of food and water and medicine to the stranded miners. Even more importantly, allow the video link with families that were clustered. And it was the first inkling the miners had of just what a big story this had become and how many people had been rooting for them and never giving up.
This must have been a huge source of comfort to them, even with the news that it might [00:22:00] take another four months to get them out of the mine. So deep down, were they, and so unstable was the mine. In the end, it was eight weeks before a big enough hole could be safely drilled and a capsule that could bring each miner up, one at a time, could be designed and transported.
And on the 13th of October, all 33 were pulled back out into the wide open and rushed off to hospital for a thorough checkover.
Now, few of us, I imagine, have been in such a desperate. Acute situation that's life-threatening where hope seems our actually our only option. And life certainly is more full of the mundane than the extreme and spectacular. But I want to draw together some thoughts about hope, which can equip us for the day-to-day as well.
And the first one is, hope is powerful. [00:23:00] Also important. It is literally vital in the sense of being both alive and essential in Christ. The Bible describes hope as something we can be born into as we choose to believe in the victory over death. That one Peter one scripture, but it's also Christ's gift to us.
Secondly, hope needs community. It can be really challenging at times to keep a health a hopeful outlook. We need others that can speak hope to us, and the Bible is full of words of hope. That can be helpful even to speak over ourselves, to pray over ourselves. We need company on the road, particularly when things are difficult.
The third point is hope is an anchor for the soul. Wishful thinking and positive energy are fleeting and self-generated. Hebrews six 19 describes [00:24:00] the hope gifted by God as being steadfast, holding us in place in safety. No matter what tries to blow us off course. God's hope is not bothered by the circumstance you are in or the uncertainty you face.
Take hold of the anchor. The fourth point is hope is a discipline. Although we understand it as a gift from God, hope usually needs to be practiced. It's given, but we need to take hold of it. At two Corinthians four 18, scripture describes us as seeing beyond the obvious in a tangible beyond our knowledge and experience of what's going on, being renewed inwardly in our hearts and minds, seeing the long game.
And the final point is that hope strengthens through suffering and perseverance. That scripture in Romans five encourages not to always avoid difficulties, but to recognize that [00:25:00] character and hope can grow through them. But I just wanna finish by being real about hopelessness. If you're anything like me, you might find it relatively easy to, to step up in the big moments in the crises and the disasters.
A and to be hopeful and to speak. Hopefully, you may, may even have experienced that wonderful supply of living hope from God when every circumstance argues against it. But you may also have the black dog days when for no particular reason or due to any particular situation. There's just a sense of despair, motivation, just draining the thought of actually being with someone bright and optimistic in those moments can feel a little bit oppressive.
Hope is strangely absent.
If you're walking with Christ, this is where the anchor is so [00:26:00] important. Whether you're physically aware of the anchor or not, it's there whether the sea is calm or the waves are tugging at you. The anchor is there whether you have the strength to change your situation or not. The anchor is there.
Sometimes all we can do is allow ourselves to be anchored, to be held. Hang in there to a new dawn when God's mercies are new every morning as it's described in Lamentations three. But if that feeling persists, do seek help.
I wanna finish with a Prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for those harassed believers in Rome.
And this is from Romans 15, verse 13. Perhaps close your [00:27:00] eyes. Take a slow, deep breath. Mentally hold out your heart as a cup to be filled.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace. As you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Conversation Street
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Dan Orange: Wow. Thanks for that Will. That was, that was great. Wow. I love that. What do you think, [00:28:00] Joan?
Jan Birch: Uh uh I'm speechless. I thought it was just amazing. Well, thank you so much. My goodness. I think the hell well should hear that. Honestly. I just think just. Just amazing. Thank you.
Dan Orange: Isn't it great, isn't it? We, we, we here we know God and we have a hope like you.
You talked about there's something steadfast that when the world around us seems hopeless. Yeah, we can go. He's got, he's got hope. Mm-hmm. Um.
What to, what to talk. There's so many bits to talk on. I know. Is there anything, Jan, that jumped out to, that you, to you, that you want to, to talk about first?
Jan Birch: I think, um, you know, I remember the story about the miners, um, really [00:29:00] well, and you know, at first, you know, as the days were, were ticking on, it just seemed so unlikely, really.
That, that they were ever gonna be rescued. Um, and I just remember praying, I did pray. Um, and then, you know, when I heard that they were, they were, you know, able to, to, to see them and reach them, and then it was just wonderful. But. I haven't been, you know, stuck down a mine or I haven't been in a war zone, you know, and some of you may, may well have done, um, but I have known that feeling of hopelessness at times.
Yeah. Um, and it's dark, isn't it? And it's, as you say, you don't wanna be [00:30:00] near cheerful people 'cause that almost hurts more. Um, but equally. God doesn't want us to be alone in, in those places. So I've known that despair, um, various points in life. Um, but I've also known the hope that that comes in the morning and the, you know, a, a phone call or a text from a friend.
You know, those things are just precious, aren't they? Um, in the darkness. What about you, dun?
Dan Orange: Yeah. I think there's a learning more and more through all these talks that we, we can't, we almost can't move on without being in hard situations.
Mm-hmm.
Dan Orange: Isn't it true that, um, that verse, you said in Hebrews, that character produces hope?
Suffering produces character, produces the hope that we, [00:31:00] you, you can't fully trust in someone if you've never been in a situation where you have to be trusted. Mm-hmm. You know, if you've got a, if you're climbing a mountain, um, and you've got a harness on you, well it's there. But unless you fall off, you don't know that it's gonna gonna hold you.
And, um, I think that gives me, it gives me hope that when I, when times are tough. That I can learn from it. But there's also, let me put it this question to both of you. Mm-hmm. When you're in those times, like the, the miners organize those Prayer meetings twice a day, it could feel like the hardest time to, to start something like that.
Have you got any? Absolutely. Have you got any, any tips or anything that you, you do in those situations? Could it be, could it be calling it out to friends or, well, well go on. Um, I,
Will Sopwith: I think sometimes that there's, it's curious, [00:32:00] isn't it, that there's something helpful about getting to the end of your resource.
Mm. And and acknowledging that I, I don't think we're very good at acknowledging that we are actually at the end of our resource. Yeah. But once you've acknowledged that there's, there's almost a freedom to like, well, something outside of me. Needs to happen here. And that's probably when you would pray, reach out to friends.
Yeah. J just be a, a bit more honest rather than just keeping on trying to keep on, keeping on trying to solve it. Yeah. Yeah. There's a sort of, there's a point that that's quite helpful, which is why actually when you're in a kind of disaster situation, in some ways, maybe it is easier to have hope. 'cause you literally have no choice.
I mean, you know, after exploring ways outta the mind, it's like. There's 700 meters of solid rock between us and the surface. We're minors, we know there's nothing else we can do. Yeah. So what's left to us? Um, I think for me it, it's harder when, oh, but if I do this and maybe I should do this, and yeah. When you've still got [00:33:00] agency, when you've still got things that you can do, that's almost harder to, to maintain the hope there.
But, but I think the point about hope being a discipline is an important one. And, and. Wishful thinking is just not gonna cut it. We actually need to do some stuff and to have some tools available, to have some verses available to, to have a bible, um, to have friends that can speak hope when we have none.
Those are all really important things to set up. And I suppose in a time when you're not desperate. Yeah. Um, because they're there then to reach out to, um, and there's a bit of planning there. Yes. There's a bit of discipline required. Ah, yes. Um. But I think those are helpful. Yeah.
Dan Orange: Anything you wanna add there, Jeff?
Jan Birch: I, I just imagine, you know, what, what it really must have been like down there and, um, you know, there'll have been men broken and crying and, [00:34:00] and I think, you know, there'll have been humor. Yeah. Um. I think that always comes to the surface, doesn't it? Yeah. When you're pretty desperate. Yeah. Um, and then they'll have been crying again and they'll been quietness and, um, anger even.
You know, I think everything, when you squeeze like that, everything comes out, doesn't it? Yeah. Um. And, and of course they, they will have been lacking energy. Uh, the brains will have been possibly a bit slower, you know, dehydrated. And so everything was, was physically against them. Um, but they survived and they were, as will says, they had the.
You know, the discipline, the, um, spirit to keep going to pray. And I mean, that's hard when we, we are living in a nice house with, [00:35:00] uh, you know, everything in front of us, but to be down a mine Yeah. And still have that hope. Mm-hmm. I just think human beings, I think we're, we've got, we're strong, aren't we?
Yeah. You know, I think we're. Yeah. Yeah. There's great capacity within us
Dan Orange: all. I think, I think, um, will mentioned in the talk, something I, I wrote down, he's put, you got to be honest with yourself and, and I think that's a big thing that if you're not honest, if you're trying to sometimes self-help perhaps can do that, can't it?
You, you speak to yourself, things that aren't true and you're dishonest with yourself, you're not. Honest to the situation you are in. And sometimes we just say, God, I'm in this, this is the truth. I like Jan said, I am angry, I am stuck. But acknowledging God is our, our hope. That is Sta steadfast. It's not.
Um, [00:36:00] in, in the uk we outside of Christianity, when we say hope. We could put wish in there, couldn't we? Yeah. Every time. Yeah. Oh, our wishes get better. I wish my job would be better.
Mm-hmm.
Dan Orange: Oh, I hope my job would be better. And we, we, is it a synonym? I dunno. It's one of those words that you can flip, but in C Christianity it's completely different.
'cause that hope is is solid. It's not. Yeah. Um, I dependent upon, yes, you can wish your job conve. Yeah. That's not gonna do anything. Yeah. But you can trust in God. Yeah. And like Will said, sometimes we have to do things, sometimes we have to do acknowledge we can't. And, and trusting God. Um, Sharon was reading this week in Chronicles and um, two Chronicles 20, and it said, we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us, but we do not [00:37:00] know what to do.
But no, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. Mm-hmm. And that's sometimes we don't know. Anything, but we must fix our eyes on Jesus. And, and as you were talking, um, when. When we're at a time when we're not in that hopelessness is a time that, that you were saying we can prepare and we can also speak to those that are in hopeless situations.
I, I read a story a few weeks ago about, um, um, I dunno, I was reading, I was reading about, um, I think I was listening to a podcast about people that had, were studying Why, why these, especially in America, these awful, um, school shootings happened. Mm-hmm. And one boy had gone to school and his backpack was filled with ammo and a gun and a boy just came to him and I think he'd, he'd hurt himself or he'd knocked himself and he just said, oh, you've, you [00:38:00] know, that must have hurt.
You've done something there. Come with me and I'll just get you cleaned up. 'cause he'd fallen over and that was it. That's all it took. And that man. Didn't commit that shooting. Mm-hmm. He changed his life and now he goes around telling people about that. Mm-hmm. And to me, that really spoke to me that those just, it doesn't have to be something big.
Mm-hmm. And twice recently I've seen people and I thought, oh man, they're in a bad way, but I don't know what to say. Mm-hmm. And I've just ignored the situation. And I came back home and I said to Lisa, that's twice that's happened. I don't want that to happen again. Mm-hmm. And it was like, to me that was, I don't still dunno what I'm gonna say to that person, but I know I just need to go Hi.
And that might be it. Yeah. But I'm praying perhaps God gives me something, something more than that. Yeah. Um, so we have those two situations, don't we? When we're not hopeless and [00:39:00] we can reach out when we're hopeless, we can perhaps come to this community. Good point. Mm-hmm.
Will Sopwith: And I, I'm gonna, I think, you know, some, some of those watching this may think well, isn't just hoping in God another form of wishful thinking.
And you know, there, there's a faith dynamic here, obviously, but I, I love your analogy of the, the harness, Dan, that, um, I mean, yeah, I often say to people, it's like you, you've kind of gotta test God out and you know, and if you're at that place going, well, you know, Prayer, that's just another form of wishful thinking.
Um. Well just test God out. I'd say I'd, I'd challenge you, um, I mean, the number of stories you hear about people who are like, oh. Hello. God, I've never spoken to you, but if you're there, blah, blah, blah, and, and something has happened, which has then turned, turned their life around, um, it, it's like kind of resting back on that harness and realizing, oh, actually do, you know, there's something here?
But un until we're in that situation, until we test it out, we don't really know. [00:40:00] Yeah. But it is an issue of faith. Um, but I mean, as I was preparing this, it's like, well. I mean, I dunno whether you've, you've looked into and the evidence for Christ, the evidence of the resurrection, I'm sure there's been lots spoken, um, in the passing in Crowd.
You could probably find lots of talks on it. Um, but this is not just wishful thinking. This is rooted in. People's experience, but also in that kind of, that supremacy of Christ. You know, when we're, when it says we're born into a living hope, there, there's reason for that. It's not just an idea, it's a demonstration of that hope from, from Christ.
And, um, yeah, if you've got any doubts about that, I'd say look into it.
Jan Birch: I just, um, really loved the, the whole. Part, um, well about, you know, fixing our eyes on not what is temporary, but what is eternal. Yeah. And, um, I just find that fascinating. And I just think, [00:41:00] um, you know, we know as Christians, as believers, um, you know, the spiritual world, there is a battle going on.
But I do really believe that if we could really see clearly. Then we would see, you know, people cheering us on. And here, I think, um, the Bible is full of, um, stories and, um, reminders of, you know, we're not alone. There's a Crowd of witnesses, but I just think I. It feels sometimes that you literally are on your own, but we're not.
God, God himself is close. Yeah. Yeah. Um, closer than your next breath, which is pretty close, I think. Um, and then there's, you know, we've, there are angels and, um, you know, that protect us and look out for us. Uh, and I just think. I'd love sometimes just to see that. Yeah. Because it, I'm [00:42:00] sure even right now, yeah.
You know, there are angelic beings with us, or well, we know the Holy Spirit is here. Um, it's just seeing that, that it's an eternal perspective. That it's real. You know what, what we're living here isn't, is temporary. And I think that gives me great hope is that
Will Sopwith: that wonderful story isn't there of Elisha in, uh, I think it's.
Two kings, probably one kings, two kings, um, of when the city surrounded and the Assyrians have come and they're gonna about to destroy Jerusalem and. Elisha's got faith of God's provision, but his servant is absolutely terrified and go, this is it. This is the end. And uh, and Elisha says, just, just open his eyes and he sees the kind of the angelic army's kind of surrounding and, you know, the battle is won without even coming out the city.
And, and the enemy is thrown into chaos and just leaves and, and no longer sieges it. But, but yeah, it's a wonderful picture of that, isn't it? Of like, if we could just. [00:43:00] And, and maybe sometimes that's a Prayer that we can pray and say, God, just, just open my eyes. Let me see the unseen. Yeah. Just a glimpse.
Mm-hmm. Just let me see, beyond this particular circumstance, uh, and sometimes that, that's all that's needed just to kind of keep us, keep us holding on. Yeah.
Dan Orange: And the Bible says that Jesus was. Was tempted in every way, and he went through all our emotions. And, um, Kate Will's wife's been watching this as well, and she, she, me messaged in saying, um, the word squeeze makes me think of the extent to which Jesus was stretched and mightily squeezed on our behalf and did not lose hope in God.
That's the son of God had that happen to him, but didn't, didn't lose hope. No. Yeah. Fixed, fixed on, fixed on the prize, fixed on the throne. There's a, there's a old hymn and it's, we have a hope that steadfast and certain that's gone through the curtain, it's gone through that, that barrier that was between us and God, and it's touching the throne and we can [00:44:00] step through.
There's no longer that barrier if you come to know him. And it's, it's that, that hope and it's, it's amazing. You know, please, if, if you're in. If you've got Prayer requests, if you're in that state, then just, this is a community. Yeah. We want to be able to pray for you. So please send any messages in any Prayer requests and the details come upon that on the screen.
This, this is why we do this, to share this hope of Jesus Christ. Yeah,
Will Sopwith: I'd, I'd not noticed that, that the Living Hope scripture from one Peter, which, which I love and, and I, I don't think I'd really notice. Before about the new birth into a living. Hope, you know that first bit of it. Um, it was our, our youngest's uh, birthday last week.
And, and I've always been struck by the fact that she was born into community. You know, our eldest was like. It was just him. Um, but [00:45:00] what it, what it is to kinda be born into a family that's already formed, you know, as a child, and it's a completely different perspective. It's completely different outlook.
And that sense of the fact that when, when we put our trust in Christ, when we, when we choose to follow Christ, we are born into this living home. We're, we're born into a family of, of. People who, who have this hope that can encourag us in this hope, that can train us in this hope. Um, and yeah, that point about community is, is, is so important.
Amen. Um, and just practical ways to form that community if it's not obvious to you. I mean, yeah. Prayer requests through, through Crowd is one. Um. For me, I, I, a number of years ago, I set up a, a, a, a little WhatsApp group for a, a number of friends that I knew I could just, I could just send out a little, kind of plea a little message to of when I was just feeling desperate.
That's so nice. And, and I didn't expect anything [00:46:00] particularly of them. I didn't, I didn't want them to phone me up and say, oh, how are things are going and talk about it. I just knew that I needed to it not just to be me, that I needed to kind of. Share it out into community and have others. And, and I knew that some of those guys would be praying for me, which is, is a massive, a massive plus.
But even just for me, the discipline of like, I'm not gonna hold onto this. I'm, I'm, I'm gonna open up and, and be in some sort of community, albeit quite kind of one way online one. Um, it's, it's actually really, really helpful. And that's one of those things I think to, to put in place in, in times of, uh, of more hopefulness.
Yeah. Um,
Dan Orange: yeah, we've, we've mentioned that whether it's, it's a discipline mm-hmm. That it's not something, it's, it talks about being inwardly renewed. It's not something that's a one off thing. Oh, I've learnt hope now. Mm-hmm. I've learn that I can trust in God, even though if, if it was that easy. It's a, it's a discipline to keep, keep trusting.
Yeah. Keep putting our, absolutely our hope, our faith [00:47:00] in. Yeah.
Will Sopwith: But it is a gift as well. Yes. It is a gift of God. Yes. You know, it's, it's, and and I love that, that, and I think we talked about it before in Crowd, that that sense of if something's gifted from God, we still, we still need to take hold of it. It is like the kind of analogy of like if someone hands you a wrapped present and you leave it wrapped and you don't, you don't physically unwrap it, you haven't really received that present.
Yeah. And, and there's that sense of yes, there's stuff we can do. But actually, ultimately, this is God's gift to us in the Holy Spirit, and, and that's a tremendously encouraging thought. Yeah.
Wow.
Jan Birch: Right. Wow. Yeah. That was, that was, yeah. Yeah. Good stuff.
Dan Orange: Hmm.
Jan Birch: What have we got next week, Dan? So
Dan Orange: Anna Kettle is speaking next week.
Yeah. Brilliant. What I'm looking forward to. Yeah. Um, and she's speaking on the Sabbath. Oh yeah. Interesting topic. I'm presuming rest and what that means, like nowadays we, Sabbath is perhaps not a word that is used [00:48:00] much at all. You know, might just say Sunday might be, uh, church day. Is it, is it more than that?
Mm-hmm. So looking forward to Anna's talk next week about that. Yeah,
Jan Birch: absolutely.
Dan Orange: Yeah. Um, and as always, if you want to come and chat with us after then, um, come along to the Google Meet and the details will be in the comments, um, um, on YouTube and Facebook. So have a look and we'd love to speak to you afterwards.
If there's anything anyone else wants to say before we finish. It's always
Will Sopwith: delightful to spend time with
Dan Orange: you guys. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, it's great to be, it's great to be here and it's great to be able to share this great news, so we will see you perhaps after this and definitely next week. Yeah.
Thanks very much.
Jan Birch: Take care. God [00:49:00] bless.