This past Easter

we hosted African children's choir called Watoto. Subsequently they sang

for President and Mrs. Bush at the White House. Upon the President's recent

visit to Uganda in East Africa, Watoto also sang.

Watoto is sponsored

of children whose parents have died of AIDS. The church has accepted a

visionary mission to provide housing, a caring foster mother, education,

nutritional food and many worthy challenges to these children.

As some of

the children were telling their stories in our church this past Easter,

the words of one little girl still echo in my heart to today: "we

have no hope but the Lord." As these kids roamed the streets and

pig trails of Uganda, their only hope, and perhaps unknowingly, was the

Lord. Even now with a roof over their heads and a school to attend, their

only hope is that the Lord will continue to inspire people to give, will

continue to give the church the vision and heart to provide for their

needs. Indeed, even now, their only hope is in the Lord. There's no will

or estate they can fall back on. The government has no resources to care

for all the abandoned children because of AIDS. Family members' homes

already are full as they take care of the children of sisters and brothers

who have died of AIDS. No hope but the Lord.

Some of you

are aware that God has placed on my heart a mission ministry to strengthen

the families in Uganda through Scriptural teaching on marriage. In my

four visits in the last six years, I see the truth: there's no hope for

these people save the Lord. No amount of U.S. aid although greatly needed

could do for these people what the Lord could do. He is the one who would

give them the motivation to work; he is the one who would prompt their

creative skills so the land could produce more and they could get their

products to global markets. He's the one who could empower parents to

have only the number of children for whom they can afford to care.

Truly their

hope is in the Lord. But that applies to you and me as well. Our immediate

need may not be a shelter over our heads during these summer rains or

our need may not be a decent meal after working all day. Our needs may

go into relational areas or areas of self-examination and questions concerning

the meaning of life. Our needs may be related to questions like if anybody

out there really gives a damn about us. Our needs may center on why on

earth are we on this earth.

But, the Bible

consistently provides the witness that our hope is in the Lord. Sure,

faith is important. I believe. You believe. Millions of Americans believe

in God, in Jesus Christ, and even in the Bible. But, there's more to it

than just believing.

In 1967 an

important theological work was translated into English. It is the book,

Theology of Hope by Jürgen Moltmann, originally written in 1964.

In the introduction, Dr. Moltmann states: "Hope is nothing else than

the expectation of those things which faith has believed to have been

truly promised by God."

The key word,

for me, is that word "expectation." Hope expects. Faith believes,

but hope expects. I can't see anything good around the corner, but hope

expects something good to be there. I remember Oral Roberts used to remind

us, "something good is going to happen to you today."

As we look

at all our needs and worries, perhaps we need to let our faith's animation

called hope rule our faces, relationships, and prospects for the future.

If a kid from Uganda rests her hopes on the Lord and sings her lungs out

for him, why isn't it worth a try for you and me!

John

Hatcher is pastor of

Outreach International

Center

1091 South Jeff Davis

Drive

Fayetteville, Georgia

30215

770-719-0303

Back

to the Top of the Page