The absurdity of hope
Hope, on one hand, is an absurdity too embarrassing to speak about, for it flies in the face of all those claims we have been told are facts. Hope is the refusal to accept the reading of reality which is the majority opinion; and one does that only at great political and existential risk. On the other hand, hope is subversive, for it limits the grandiose pretension of the present, daring to announce that the present to which we have all made commitments is now called into question.
—Walter Brueggemann: The Prophetic Imagination.
The subversity and absurdity of hopefulness is poetically articulated in the book of psalms; songs that are a reflection of the life rhythms that guide our becoming. They tend to follow a particular structure where life moves through a flow that the mystics describe as ‘order to disorder, new order or orientation, then disorientation to new orientation.
The subjective nature of the Psalms highlight the highs and lows of those who are ‘seekers of light and life, bearers of shadows and burdens’. The lyrics are full of exaggeration, embellishment and hopeful longings that fly in the face of despair. It is as if all music must build a case for its deepest hopes amidst the reality and grief in the midst of that which surrounds our existence.
Psalm 40 contains 17 verses of brilliant explanation concerning David’s experience of finding God (hopefulness) in the midst of his dilemma. It starts with a powerful description of how hope arrives when we least expect it, a reassuring envoy that rescues and revives our flagging energies. This arrival 'shores up' his confidence in God reminding him of the rich legacy that faith has given him.
The great philosopher Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” The hopefulness of Psalm 40 kickstarts our faith with energetic enthusiasm but eventually reminds us of the reality and grief that has undergirded our pathway to stability and renewal.
From verse 11-14 David unpacks the reality and grief that has been the catalyst for the provocation of hope, the rich lyrical content of his honest lament colliding and identifying with our own reality and experience. ‘Troubles without number surround me’, ‘May all who seek to take my life be put to shame’, ‘My sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see’, ‘My heart fails me’, 'I am poor and needy’.
We can all identify with the pathway of descent that life leads us down. We embrace our reality and grief while looking for hope that hides in plain sight ready to lift us up when we really need it.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God. - Psalm 40:2-3a
Hope lifts us up and helps us find stability in the absurdity of situations that we cannot change on our own, a rock, an anchor, a solid force that transports our imaginations into new ways of seeing the world. Hope lifts our hearts by putting a new song in our mouths, a subversive hum of reverence that refuses to be laboured by the present reality, creatively energising our lives to push ahead into our new becoming.
'Music is the divine signature of hope that has been intrinsically invested in our DNA, a reminder that our longings and desires are an internal melody that is constantly looking for lyrical expression'.
While 'patiently waiting' we must remain aware of our own breath, the very life force of hope that works its magic in our souls. Every week at my Te Reo Maori class we were invited to start the journey of learning by practicing a breathing exercise. 'Ha kina, Ha puta'….breathe in, breathe out. One of the Māori words for hope is ‘manawa ora’. This translates as ‘God breathed...the creation of a living soul’ (Gen 2:7)
Be patient with yourself today, take a deep breath and let hope be your reassuring presence inside.