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In Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Dream” speech, he envisioned a day when we would not judge each other by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. The capacity to envision a better future is human. In the midst of poverty, illness, or hopelessness, we can envision a day when things will be better. But those of us who have a relationship with God have an even greater capacity to hope. That is because we base our hope on God’s commitment to us, and God cannot fail. Long ago, God made a promise to Abraham — to multiply his descendents, and to bless the entire world through them. Sadly, some of his offspring violated God’s covenant. This resulted in their exile and punishment, but God still kept His promise to bless the world through them. Jesus the Messiah descended from Abraham and the Jewish people. Through Jesus, God offers eternal salvation to the entire world. Jeremiah, chapter 31, reaffirmed God’s love for ancient Israel when he said, “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you.” God affirmed His love for us when Jesus said, “As Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
