A Hope For All Seasons

So if the source of our hope is God, and the object of our hope is God, then the content of our hope will be the promises of God. Not what we want, but what He wants to give us, what He has promised to give us. As Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." If we are to be absolutely sure of what we hope for, and certain that it will come to pass, then our hope must be based on something which is absolutely reliable, which is the Word of God. What does God promise in His Word to those who belong to Him?

1. "But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." -- 1 Thessalonians 5:5

2. "He saved us . . . so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." -- Titus 1:5, 7

3. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" -- Titus 2:10-13

4. "I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." -- Acts 24:15

5. "But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope." -- Galatians 5:5

6. "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints." -- Ephesians 1:18

That’s where our focus ought to be. That’s the hope of the Christian. Things which have to do with salvation, and eternal life, and the return of Christ, and the great and wonderful things God has prepared for us in the world to come. Does that mean we shouldn’t care about the things of this world? Does it mean we shouldn’t have any hopes at all for our lives in this world, or for our children? No, I’m not saying that. But it’s a matter of degree, a matter of emphasis. Our longing to know God, and to experience the things of God, should be so great; our hope ought to be fixed on Him to such an extent, that His promises matter more to us than whether our earthly wishes and desires are fulfilled. It’s not that we care so little about our present circumstances, but that we care so much more about what is to come. Fundamentally, our hopes are fixed on the next world, and whatever may happen to us here and now, we take comfort in knowing that it doesn’t affect what God has prepared for us there.

Can we bring these two worlds together? Yes, and that’s where the character of God comes in. We trust in His wisdom, and his love, and his power. We know that He can do all things; we know that not even situations which seem hopeless are beyond his ability to change. As Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:20, God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." And so we can fully trust our circumstances to Him, knowing that He can turn and change them any way He pleases. But what if He chooses not to act? What if He allows the situation to stay the same, or even get worse? Then we rest in the knowledge that he is sovereign, that he is in control over all things. And so whether or not our hopes in this life are fulfilled, we can trust that everything that happens in our lives is a part of His good and perfect and loving plan for us.