Poverty, injustice, pain, suffering, natural disasters, corrupt politics, murder, and wars! You may think I’m only talking about our current reality, but you would only be half right. These same problems and challenges have faced people in every era in history, including the time of Jesus Christ.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus showed us that our hope comes from God, and it will lead us to salvation and eternal life no matter what we face in our life. Before Jesus, we only had imperfect people to place our hope in. To understand hope, let’s look at the definitions.
Definitions of Hope
- Webster defines hope as a feeling, expectation, desire, and trust.
- In Hebrew, Tikvah can mean a cord, rope, thread, trust, expectation, confidence, and faith. The name Tikvah means “hope.” It is the name of God in Hebrew. According to these definitions, hope comes from trusting someone, God, and it is a verb, alive and active.
How Satan Deceives Us
It’s interesting that God’s name is and means hope. Since God handcrafted each of us and breathed life into us, how can we not have hope in our DNA? However, the enemy of God, Satan, wants us to believe that because we are born into sin and continue to sin, there is no hope for us. He deceives us into believing that the sins we do are who we are, which is a lie.
Since we are not born knowing God’s truth or having a close relationship with Him, we form our imperfect beliefs about God, Jesus, love, and hope. When our experiences are painful, and our information is lacking or altered, we can get confused, depressed, and hopeless. When we try to be optimistic in our minds or emotions while living from our sinful desires of life, we can only take ourselves so far.
Unless we have a force bigger than ourselves that is perfectly loving, trustworthy and promises a perfect eternity, how can we see or believe in hope? Our imperfect human condition has continually shown us that when we focus on ourselves, we become evil and corrupt. Old history books report this fact and all the stories in the Old Testament in the Bible. God gave us these historical accounts to remind us to hold onto him, not ourselves.
The Person and Reason for Our Hope
When God created man and woman in their (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) image, he created us in his love, which includes giving us the freedom to choose to follow God or reject him. Even though he knew many people would reject him, he knew others would love, serve, and live with him. He knew our choices would require a plan which would make it possible for us to be saved and united with him again. This is God’s plan.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
- John 3:16-17, NASB
God gave us the face, heart, character, words, actions, and trusting confidence of hope through Jesus. He is our Savior and the hope for which we live. We were created to discover and walk in the ways of Jesus Christ and our Creator, God. God gave us Jesus and the Bible to teach us about His loving plan and to instruct us.
The Strength, Perseverance, and Reward for Our Steadfast Hope in Christ
The only hope we have of being good or having pure love to share with others is to live as disciples of Christ. The world sees hope when our attitudes, words, and actions mirror Jesus. The broken, oppressed, slaves to sin, imprisoned by strongholds, and those in despair can find salvation and strength and live free for all eternity in heaven.
All you have to do is choose Jesus and let him be the LORD of your life as you live as his disciple. Being Christ’s disciple is not an easy path because it goes against the ways of the world and the temptations you will still face. However, whether you choose Jesus and God or not, you will have to face all the challenges and pain in your life.
Do you want to do it on your own and fall under the devil’s influence and face an eternity in hell, or do you want to work with Jesus in his strength and wisdom and spend eternity in heaven?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
- 1 Peter 1:3-4, NASB 1995
God is Helping Us
God is giving us time to share his hope.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
- 2 Peter 3:9, NASB 1995
God is equipping us with His Word.
Let us be self-controlled, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
- 1 Thes. 5:8, NASB 1995
Yet those who hope in the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will sprout with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
- Isaiah 40:31, NASB 1995
Your Creator, God, has given you the freedom to choose whom you will place your hope in and serve. He also wants you to know the consequence of your choice is eternal. He is calling you to come to him and find salvation, rest, peace, strength, and hope. He wrote this prayer for you. Follow him, and you will find true hope!
Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 15:13, NASB 1995
