We all need to have hope, that encouragement or push to know that we will see our wishes and desires fulfilled. To hope is to live with the confidence that we will get what we want. A life without hope is a bleak life.
As Christians, our hope is set on God. We trust that he will keep his promises and that he will not fail us when we need him most. Above all things we know that, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have salvation and eternal life. We will be with him for eternity!
Hope in God frees us from fear of the future and uncertainty. We know that our God is good, he knows us and we can trust that he will give us the necessary strength to face life’s difficulties (Nahum 1: 7).
Let’s look at some Bible verses that talk about our hope as children of God and affirm our faith on this day.
1. The basis of our hope
It is by the mercy of God that we have hope. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God opened the way for us to approach him and to receive the abundant life he wants to give us. Our hope is part of that abundant life. This reality must bring joy and praise to our hearts. How can we not praise and thank so much mercy and goodness?
2. Certainty for the future
Because I know very well the plans that I have for you - affirms the Lord - plans of well-being and not of calamity, in order to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
When we put our faith in Jesus and begin to read his Word we see all the promises there are for those who love God. No matter how difficult a situation seems, we know that something good will come out of it and that, what God allows, is for our good (Romans 8:28). That is our hope in the middle of any situation. God is not only at our side when difficulties come but also has something good in mind as a result.
3. A good choice
The sooner we put our trust in God, the better. Thus we will enjoy your company, your help and your blessings for many years. The children of God are not without problems, but it is very nice to look back and see that we have not traveled the road alone. God is the faithful companion always present, our help at all times. It is worth putting our hope in him!
4. The result of adversity
... because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, fortitude of character; The fortitude of character, hope. And this hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love in our hearts for the Holy Spirit who has given us.
(Romans 5: 3b-5)
When we face adversity clinging to God and persevere in the midst of difficulties, we see that our hope grows and our character increasingly reflects the character of Christ. This is possible because the Holy Spirit fills our hearts and confirms that we have the presence and help of God for every step of the way.
5. Rejecting the anguish
Sometimes we get discouraged and we are distressed thinking that God has forgotten us. There are situations that surprise us by their great strength and persistence. However, nothing surprises God. He knows what happens to us even before it happens. We can rely on him to receive the desired response at the right time. Let’s not be overcome by grief. Let us remember who we expect: in the almighty God, our Lord and Savior.
6. Filled to overflow
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace to you who believe in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13)
The hope we have in our God brings much joy and peace to our hearts. It is so much that sometimes we even feel like jumping. This is because God has left us beautiful promises in his word that renew our strength and cover us with peace. The Holy Spirit confirms to us in the depths of our being that we can wait for God to fulfill what he has promised. And it is in that trust that we can be calm and at peace.
7. Calm heart
Although we find ourselves in the midst of illnesses and great problems as happened to Job, no one can take away the hope we have in God. We know that God is our shelter and refuge at all times, not only at times when everything is going well (Psalm 46). That is the certainty that allows us to sleep well and move on, day after day, with a calm and confident heart.
8. Death is not the end
Brothers, we do not want you to ignore what will happen to those who have already died, so that they do not grieve like those others who have no hope. Do we not believe that Jesus died and rose again? So also God will resurrect with Jesus those who have died in union with him.
(1 Thessalonians 4: 13-14)
In Christ we not only have hope for this life but, thanks to his death and resurrection, we also have the hope of eternal life. We know that as children of God, even if our physical body dies, we will live with him for eternity. We do not see death as the end point but as the beginning of eternal life beside Jesus. And we know that it will be a life free of disease, without tears and without pain (Revelation 21: 4).
9. God is faithful
In the midst of the ups and downs of life we can cling to a reality: God is faithful and he fulfills what he promises. We can live in confidence knowing that he accompanies us and gives us the necessary strength to move forward. Even if those people we have trusted fail us, God never fails us. He always listens to us, he is attentive to our cry, and he grants us peace and strength to continue on the path. Never stop waiting on him!
