Hopeful?

 

The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,“Therefore I have hope in Him.” ^[1](Lam 3:22-24)

So what does it mean to “hope in Him”?  I suppose it’s a lot like faith.  We trust God’s faithfulness.  We trust in His goodness.  We hope in Him. 

There are many things we can hope in.  This life promises financial stability, relationships that last, opportunity and achievements.  But none of these are foolproof.  The only truly reliable hope is in the LORD.  His very nature is secure, and the promises of His Word are sure. 

The disappointment of placing our hope in earthly things can be quite overwhelming. 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (Prov 13:12)

There is joy and peace when we hope in God. This sustains us through all the ups and downs of life.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ro 15:13)

In the Bible, the term hope often means “optimistic expectation”.  There are several reasons why the believer can rejoice in optimism.

1.       We have the sure hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, (He 6:18-19)

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1Jn 56:13)

 2.      God the Father has made us His children.

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. (Ro 8:23-25)

3.      We know that all things work together for good.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Ro 8:28-32)

Our eternity is secure in heaven.  Our relationship with God is established as a Father/ Child one.  We can know that whatever circumstances come our way, they are filtered by a Heavenly Father who loves us and is committed to making us more like Christ.  Why shouldn’t we be expectantly optimistic? 

Some would say, “that light at the end of the tunnel might be a train.”  I suppose it might be.  But if it runs me down, I will spend eternity in heaven, I’ll always have a heavenly Father who loves me as his own dear child, and the experience will make me more like Christ.  Not too bad, I’d say.

Christians should avoid the temptation to be pessimistic.  It dishonors God when we ignore His nature, spurn the promises of His Word, and become overwhelmed in our circumstances.  Christians should maintain a hopeful and optimistic attitude in all things. How about you?  Are you hopeful today?

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^[1] All passages in this post were taken from New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).