What is Hope?
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:1-5 NIV
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:24-25 NIV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Peter 1:3 NIV
As we defined on Day 1, hope is our desire to see something happen or become true.
She gave up hope.
The team hoped they’d win the game.
We hope that rain won’t ruin the party.
It’s hard for us to survive without hope. Because of that, we often place our hope in objects, experiences, and people, which leads to disappointment for us when our expectations are unrealistic and therefore, mismanaged. What we should be doing is placing our hope in our God. Let’s take a look at what God’s Word holds for us when it comes to hope.
The Apostle Paul wrote that hope doesn’t put us to shame because of God’s love that’s been poured out on us (Romans 5:5). He also writes that hope that we can see isn’t hope (Romans 8:24). And the best thing we can learn about hope is that our God authored it, and as we learn to trust in Him, He fills us with so much hope that we’re overflowing with it (Romans 15:13).
Hope is an anticipation and expectation that God is working even if we can’t see it. It’s a spiritual optimism that actually leads to building our faith. We might say that faith and hope go hand in hand. While faith is the belief that God is who He says He is and that we should trust in Him, hope is the expectation that He’s there. So, when we have hope in God, it actually propels our faith.
How do we live it out?
Living our lives with hope often comes down to knowing how to navigate our thoughts. We can become overwhelmed and even feel defeated in things that have little to no eternal impact. When plans fail and we’re disappointed, we can still have hope despite earthly disappointments. We choose to hold onto the hope that God has prepared a glorious place for us in heaven that’ll never end.
What do I do when my hope is low?
When hope feels far off, it’s likely that we had situational hope. This kind of hope that we place on temporary things or even people often brings despair. So, take a minute to analyze where you’ve directed your hope. If you’ve placed your hope in anything in this world, redirect that hope toward God. Our hope is secure when we’re grounded in Jesus and are expectant about spending eternity with Him.