In the 1950’s, a Johns Hopkins University scientist by the name of Curt Richter conducted a famous experiment with rats. Rats were put into buckets of water to monitor their ability to survive. Most of them lasted about 15 minutes before drowning. 

In his second experiment, Richter rescued the rats from drowning when they were about to give up. They were removed from the water, dried off and given time to rest. When he put the rats back into the water, their expectation of a rescue changed everything. They swam for another 60 hours. 

Conclusion: hope changes our perspective, and then our endurance. When injured athletes struggle through rehab, each new advance in recovery gives them hope. When an expectant mother hears a strong heartbeat from her womb, she has new hope for a healthy baby. 

Biblical hope does not contain any sense of doubt. Biblical hope is most often defined as a confident expectation, based on God’s sovereignty. God has the power, wisdom, and authority to do whatever He wants to do. 

“God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19 (NASB) 

Hope changes how we navigate an unhinged culture. In His sovereignty, God is orchestrating life for His glory and our good no matter how things look. Christ will return some day for His followers to spend eternity together in heaven. Our hope is based on His character, that He keeps His promises.   

Over breakfast with a professional hockey player, our conversation centered on disappointing circumstances we were both experiencing. As we walked to our cars that morning, he said something that set our perspective: “God is still on the throne, and He is not worried.”

Today’s devotional is one of five this week on “Living In An Unhinged Culture” by Tom Petersburg.