Hope...

During a recent worship-based prayer gathering with two friends of mine, the Holy Spirit kept bringing up the theme of hope. We read passages like:

Psalm 71:4-6
"Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.
By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You."

Psalm 33:16-18
"No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy."

Romans 5:1-5
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

1 Peter 1:13
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Keeping that last verse in mind, an acronym for hope came to me while we were praying:

Having
One
Perspective --
Eternity!

I love this simple reminder.

And I love that biblical hope is not just wishful thinking ("Oh, I hope it will happen..."); it's a confident expectation that what God promised WILL come to pass! This hope is the anchor that keeps us from drifting away in doubt and discouragement when life gets tough. In fact, I think God's Word has something to say about that very thing!

Hebrews 6:17-19a
"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."


This hope anchors my soul:

...when remodeling projects seem to go on forever and a day!

...when I'm faced with new and challenging responsibilities in ministry.

...when the price of gas and other costs of living keep rising and rising.


And this hope anchors my soul:

...when I watch the news and hear about devastation, despair, and other discouraging things around the world.

...when I see people I love making destructive life choices that don't honor the Lord.

...as Andrew and I approach our 13th wedding anniversary as a childless couple.


The world doesn't understand how we can still have hope in spite of both the minor irritations and the serious concerns of life. To me, it's simple: having one perspective -- eternity. When I make a conscious effort to look at the circumstances of my life in light of eternity, God's Spirit whispers encouragement to my heart: "Yes, this isn't all there is! Look up! Look ahead!" My life is eternal, and my time here is but a breath in comparison to what awaits me! I trust with all my heart that my Heavenly Father, who loves me so much He sent Jesus to die for me so I could be a part of His family, is working everything together for my good and His glory, and that fills me with such peace and joy!

I pray that these thoughts will be an encouragement to you as well. I leave you with a final benediction from God's Word:

Romans 15:13

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."