Hope’s Partner
As believers, we have an incredible partner to hope—faith. We have the most wonderful Father looking out for us. He has our back no matter how hard we have fallen or how far away we have strayed. To have faith in Him and to know that He’s got us in the palm of His hand is the ultimate comfort. He knows us down to each hair on our head, and He cares for us more than we can even fathom. Matthew, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, tells us that God knows every sparrow and cares for every lily, so how much more could He care for us? God knows us better than we know ourselves.
The Darkest of Times
In some of our darkest times, we experience anguish. These moments reflect nearly unbearable trauma, shock and helplessness. Anguish is often a result of the loss of a loved one or a seriously traumatic experience and the after-effects of that event. When we exercise our faith in these moments, God will deliver us with the hope we need to push through. Before Jesus was crucified, He promised that it wouldn’t be the last His disciples would see of Him. The anguish and hopelessness that His followers felt on that first Good Friday, the day He was crucified, is unimaginable. But as the weekend progressed and they went to His tomb, His followers realized Jesus had risen! The prophecy had come true. Can’t you just feel the hope return to their spirits as they realize that Jesus was in fact the Son of God, and He would return for them?!
Our Hope in Him
It is human nature to experience doubt. We know God’s faithfulness. We know He will never forsake us. We can see through scripture the fulfillment of prophecy after prophecy, some with hundreds of years between being spoken and being fulfilled. We have one more important prophecy that God will fulfill. In Matthew 28, Jesus says He will be with us to the end of time. We will spend eternity with Him, and that is a promise we can count on.
Hope is wishing and praying for it to rain. Faith is wearing your poncho and rain boots!
Hope is a function of struggle—we develop hope not during the easy or comfortable times, but through adversity and discomfort.
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