You are full of hope! You might not feel that way right now, but if you are a Christian, at minimum, you have the hope of heaven, to have your sorrows completely gone in the presence of Jesus. But that is not all. God promises all things to work for our good (Romans 8:28), so we have hope that at some point God will turn things around and bless us for any suffering that we’ve been through.
“And these three remain: faith, hope, and love…” Why is hope listed as one of the three most important qualities that are needed in a believer’s life? I understand why faith is important; faith in God and Christ’s death on the cross is required for salvation. I also understand the importance of love; it is the greatest commandment to love God and others. But I always wondered why hope was in the middle of faith and love. What’s so vital about hope, that without it, we fail to thrive?
First I would like to define what hope is: “a favorable and confident expectation; it has to do with the unseen and the future; the happy anticipation of good.” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary)
God is the author of hope, and He is the one who gives it:
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NASB)
God never rebuked Job for feeling despair over his unjust treatment and loss. God called him righteous. And when Elijah was in despair, God took care of him and encouraged him. He was never rebuked for feeling despair, since he had served God faithfully and just had nothing left. Both Job and Elijah had given their all. They were completely wiped out.
The Psalms express this same despair:
“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.” (Psalm 42:5 NASB)
This Scripture holds the keys to overcoming despair and grabbing hold of hope:
- Hope in God. The Lord will bring us through the situation.
- Later we will praise God for the good that He did in the future. Therefore, since a good future is secure because God promises good from all that happens to us, praise will come out of our mouth after the fact. So we might as well praise Him before the fact, since we know that He will do it. The ability to do this is called faith.
- His presence is what will help us to overcome despair.
God is sovereign over all things, and He will bring you out as gold on the other side of suffering. I have seen over and over again, God bringing good out of the worst situations in my life. God is faithful.
Don’t allow yourself to remain in anguish, or it will incapacitate you. The enemy wants to torment you and keep you from living life to the full and serving Him. Hand your anguish over to God, and praise Him with songs until your hope comes back. God is in control of the situation and will bring good from it. God is working even when you don’t see it.
My favorite verses of hope happen in the midst of Jeremiah’s despair in the bottom of a dark, muddy pit while starving to death:
“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21-23 NASB)
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My daughter and I created the artwork for this series from the course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!
