The second prayer of the seven prayers in the Lord’s prayer is about hope. If the first prayer is about perspective, seeing ourselves and our situation more clearly, hope is about what is before us, what is yet to unfold. When we talk about hopes and dreams, it is largely about what we aspire to. But the hope in the Lord’s prayer is about the promise of what is to come.
We need hope to live but not too small
At some points in life, recovering a sense of hope is itself a fundamental step. Believing that there will be a tomorrow and that it will have possibilities that do not appear at the present moment, is a part of recovering the will to live and to go on. Sometimes, anxiety and fear can push hope from our life. But we need hope to live. Dante described the gates of hell with the words above them: “Abandon hope all who enter here.” Indeed, these words suggest how important hope is to life.
However, we can also live with hopes that are too small, hopes that are wrongminded, misdirected, or selfish and fearful, hopes that are unworthy of us. Hopes that are small may be important in the recovery of hope, but they can also diminish our life if our hopes remain small. Jesus said that we should not live by bread alone. There is more to life than collecting experiences, treasures, or stuff. When our hopes are set too small, they keep us from living a more purposeful life, a more fulfilling life, a more joyful life.
Hope was at the heart of Jurgen Moltmann’s long theological life of teaching and writing, the subject of his many books. He believed that the particular hope that Jesus invited us to pray for, hope for the Kingdom of God, is not only in front of us, but is also pushing into the present from the future. We live with hope, by hope, in hope.
You are far more precious to God than flowers
A few days ago, I went to visit an old friend for the last time. She had long lived with a debilitating condition that profoundly limited her mobility. It didn’t shape her life or limit her hope. She cared about and helped many others. Her mind was sharp and she kept up with events and enjoyed the pleasures of her life. But now she was dying. She asked if I had noticed the beautiful flowers that friends had brought to her room. One bouquet was a splash of big colorful flowers, but the second bouquet had many blossoms but only had a few flowers blooming. Most had yet to open. One bouquet for that very day. And the other for beautiful things still to unfold. In that very sermon in which we find the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus talked about flowers. Consider, Jesus said, the lilies of the field, that neither toil nor spin, yet God has clothed them with raiment finer than the clothes of Kings. And as beautiful as flowers are, as delicate and fragrant, you are far more precious to God than flowers. That is where our hope is found.
