How would you describe hope?
Webster states Hope as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen - and trust.” Another version defines it as “to want something to happen or be the case.”
The Apostle Paul states that hope is really faith and “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.” (Hebrews 11:1 NCV)
Either way you slice it, hope is something that has not happened and we are putting our faith into - and hoping it will come to pass.
What do you hope for?
As the Apostle Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, they traveled by ship. The weather became so deteriorated that He said:
“With their own hands they threw out the ship’s equipment. When we could not see the sun or the stars for many days, and the storm was very bad, we lost all hope of being saved.” (Acts 27:19-20 NCV)
If you stop and play out that picture of being on a ship and truly believing life is over and you will die at sea. That’s a big deal.
I know people that lost hope and committed suicide. To lose hope is a very sad state of mind. Imagine a person without hope. It’s so empty and sad.
I hope I will go to heaven and Christ dying for my sin saves me. I hope I don’t have side-effects from my chemo. I hope that my leukemia will never resurface aftwards.
I hope my children and grandchildren will trust Christ for salvation. I hope for good health, a good long, strong life. I hope I can help others to know Christ and see the joy of serving God.
So what should we do with our hope? I say ask God to bless us with the things we hope for. However, let me remind us what we should ask God for.
We should ask for things that agrees with what He wants.
The Apostle John said:
“And this is the boldness we have in God’s presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us. If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NCV)
LORD, help us ponder what we hope for and share these desires with you. Help us trust that you will give us what we hope for and help us to ask for the things that you would agree with. IJNIP amen ♥️
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