Only Hope

Morning everyone. Welcome to Throwback Thursday. We have something a bit special for you today, with an amazing song for the same Throwback Thursday.

Today we have the song, “Only Hope” by Switchfoot. This song is from 1999 and is such a fabulous song. We are so grateful for such great Christian music.

Throwback Thursday

Only Hope

Overall, the song is about Jesus being our only true source of hope in this world, amidst all the things that try to hold onto- they will all fade away. Jesus is the real thing and satisfies like nothing else can.

‘There’s a song that’s inside of my soul, It’s the one that I’ve tried to write over and over again, I’m awake in the infinite cold, But You sing to me over and over again…’

The opening lyrics of the song are all about when we try to find hope, meaning and fulfilment in ourselves. We try and pursue our own interests to find hope. The reality is we will fail to find fulfilment in these things. ‘It’s the one that I’ve tried to write over and over again, I’m awake in the infinite cold…’ We’ll end up feeling empty, no better than when we started. The last part of the verse talks about how Jesus breaks this cycle when He comes into our lives. ‘But You sing to me over and over again…’ He pursues us with His love and a hope that truly satisfies.

Psalm 39:7-“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you”

‘So I lay my head back down and I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours. I pray to be only Yours. I know now you’re my only hope…’

The message of the chorus is almost a response to the the love and hope that Jesus brings. It is a commitment to Jesus, a surrender to Him, that we will not live for ourselves and try to find hope in our own lives, but rather in Him alone. ‘So I lay my head back down and I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours…’ We belong to God, He bought us with His blood shed on the cross for us! We need to commit to God daily, to remind ourselves that our ultimate hope is found in Him. We are His, our lives should reflect our allegiance to Jesus alone. He Our hope can never be found in anything this world has to offer, no matter how hard we search, because all of this is temporary.

‘When it feels like my dreams are so far. Sing to me of the plans that You have for me over again…’

So often we can feel like the plans we have for ourselves, the way we have planned our lives out don’t work out the way we want them to. If all our attention and energy is directed at our hopes and desires and they fail, this can cause a lot of pain. At times such as these, if we are holding onto God’s ways and see his Will as superior to our plans, it is an opportunity to shift our focus from ourselves, back towards God. When our plans are distant and falling apart, let us remember God’s plans for us. Just remember the verse from Jeremiah 29:11– our first series. God has plans to prosper us, not to harm us. Whatever we may have planned for ourselves, just remember that God has plans for us that are so much greater. Isaiah 55:9 talks about God’s ways being so much greater than ours. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.

‘I give You my apathy. I’m giving You all of me. I want Your symphony. Singing in all that I am. At the top of my lungs I’m giving it back…’

This last verse talks about giving all that we are to Jesus. If He truly is the Only Hope in our lives, why shouldn’t we give everything to Him? ‘I give You my apathy. I’m giving You all of me…’ We must surrender all we have to Jesus, as followers of Him we must give up our earthly lives to become a disciple of Jesus. We must either be in the world or in Jesus. When we give our lives and all we are to Jesus, He blesses us as a follower of Him. We will sing His praises if our hope is in Him, because of what He has done for us and because we know we have the assurance of eternity with God to look forward to. ‘I want Your symphony. Singing in all that I am. At the top of my lungs I’m giving it back…’

Jesus we give you our lives, putting all our hope in you. May you will be done. We will sing of you hope and you promises forever! You are so glorious and loving. You set me apart and called me loved. I’m giving You all of me.
Amen.

God Bless

Josh- The Faith Filled Friends