Holding Onto Your Hope

A mentee of mine recently wrote me asking what should he do because he had lost hope. He claimed to be a devoted Christian who loved God with all his heart. But he had lost hope. We hope for many things in life.We have little control over all the things we hope for. I hope to get a better job. You may or may not. I hope it does not rain on my picnic tomorrow. Even the weather man may be wrong. I hope I will pass my test today. It all depends on how hard we have studied.

All of these things we hope for may or may not come to pass. But there is no guarantee. We have little control over what we hope for. However, the biblical meaning of hope is entirely different. 1 Timothy 6:17 tells us not to place our hope on riches. They may pass away. Instead, put your hope in Jesus who provides for every thing we need. God will always provide for what we need because he knows what we need , not only for now, but for the future. We hope in confidence for what God has promised. He has promised never to leave us or to forsake us, no matter how difficult life may get. He has promised to forgive our sins, no matter how numerous or serious they may be.

He has promised to give us strength to bear no matter what the future holds.We know he will never forget what he has promised. Some people promise to do things for us, but conveniently forget what they promised. We can place our hope in God for whatever he has planned for us, knowing it will come to pass. Above all, we place our hope in Christ for this life and for the life to come. Isaiah 43:5 says we have nothing to fear since God is with us.

The hymn writer had it right when he wrote, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand."

Want to hold onto your hope? I trust that my mentee and all of us will read those words every day for a week!