The Hunger Games – Only Hope is Stronger Than Fear

Fandom: “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” – President Snow, The Hunger Games (movie)

Verses: Psalm 88:14, Hebrews 10:23, Jeremiah 8:15, Philippians 1:6, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 121, Romans 8:24, Isaiah 35:4, 1 Chronicles 28:20, 1 John 4:18

Nugget: Hope in the Lord is the strongest form of hope we can have.

This week’s fandom nugget comes to you from the darkest reaches of Panem. Say what you like about the movie (I agree, the first one is terrible), but it does give us a look at the perspective of Capitol characters like President Snow before the release of Songbirds and Snakes, including the well-known “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear” quote, which we’ll be discussing today. For more on this quote, check out this post I found from K. L. Greenwalt.

The world is dark without Jesus.

As much as I wish it were true, this world isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. I think 2020 has given all of us a taste of that. No matter how many fluffy kitten videos or adorable nostalgic TV shows I watch, the darkness will still creep back in.

If I give myself time to think about it, it’s pretty overwhelming. The entire world has been shaken, economies are in trouble, we nearly had another world war in January. In my state, we nearly had a winter Snownado (chance of snow and tornado warning). Some of the things we’ve seen (cough, murder hornets) feel like they came from The Hunger Games.

Most of all, people, precious humans made in God’s image and infinitely valuable in His sight, are dying needlessly. Although our society (especially in America) hasn’t sunk to the level of Panem, our systems are broken.

In short, the world is a dark place, dark enough to make you want to cry out, “O LORD, why have you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 88:14). As a whole, humanity seems to be crying out this year, “We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror” (Jeremiah 8:15).

Every other week, it seems like 2020 throws us another curveball. It’s all too much to handle, and we’re all suffering. Looking at the world around us can be a source of fear and anxiety, and it might never end.

A little hope goes a long way.

Where can we turn to when we need hope? We’ve already established that fluffy kitten videos won’t help, and society as a whole is a source of fear, not its cure. Watching people do nice things for each other can be encouraging, but humans are dumb. We will never be consistently kind to each other, and so looking to humanity is not a reliable source of hope.

Where do we look then? What match can we light that won’t be blown out by the slightest conflict or uncertainty?

…Jesus.

It seems predictable to say this, but that’s actually good, if you think about it. Jesus is predictable because He is reliable. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

Hope in Jesus can drive away the fear we have.

How though? When I’m afraid of the thousands of dollars still left to pay for the semester, or that my family’s health might be in jeopardy, or that we’ll suddenly have another civil war or world conflict on our hands, how do I have hope in Jesus? When I’m worried that I’m not doing enough to help, or be a good friend, or a responsible human being, how can I know that it’s okay?

Remember how He’s been faithful before.

The best way I’ve found (and many others have as well) to fight the fear and anxiety I feel is to remind myself of the times God has shown up for me in the past. Like the past three years of college, when He’s come through every. single. time. to provide for my tuition and housing fees, even when it looked like He wouldn’t.

Other times, God has turned what felt like a hopeless situation (getting rejected by my dream college) into a golden opportunity. Remembering things like this, when my faith was tested, helps me respond with greater strength when new things come up.

Remind yourself of His promises.

The next step in resisting fear and anxiety is to remember the promises that God has made through the Bible. If He’s been faithful before, as you’ve established now, then it stands to reason that He will continue to be faithful. Here are some promises that make good reminders for fearful and anxious moments:

• God will take care of you and help you (Psalm 121)
• God will protect you (Isaiah 43:1-4)
• Even if the world ends, God will be solid (Psalm 46:1)
• God will be faithful to the promises He made (Hebrews 10:23)
• He will finish what He’s started in you (Philippians 1:6)

You can find an exhaustive list of God’s promises on this website.

Pray the promises back to Him, even when you can’t see that they’re true.

Finally, one of the most powerful ways of resisting the fear caused by life, the world and everything is to pray the promises of God back to Him. This will build your trust that they’re true, even when you don’t 100% believe it at the time. One of my favorite passages for this is Psalm 121; another might be Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 56:3, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, and so many more.

It sounds kind of crazy, but praying and speaking out loud, even when you’re alone, has a power to it. Something about saying the words with your actual mouth and hearing them out loud makes them seem more real. Doing this also helps to keep away the thoughts in your head. If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit will also remind you of God’s promises when you need them.

Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.

To summarize, this world is a dark, fear-inducing place. All the kitten videos in the world can’t hold back the conflict, the injustice, and the uncertainty. Humanity is no help; we’re the cause of most of our problems. Instead, we can look to Jesus as the only reliable source of hope. To help us remember, we can call to mind things God has done before to prove His faithful to us. We can remind ourselves of His promises, through memorizing Scripture and the Holy Spirit. And we can allow the Holy Spirit to erase our fear, anxiety, and doubt by speaking and proclaiming Scriptural promises, even when we don’t quite believe them yet.

How has God shown His faithfulness to you? What gives you hope? I’d love to know!

Thank you for reading this post. If you enjoyed it, please share, and check out this post for more thoughts on God’s faithfulness.

Happy fangirling!! ^.^