The God of Our Hope

One of my favorite things about my dad is that he is full of hope!  At 77 years of age, his excitement about what he is hoping for spills over. When you are around him, you can’t help but smile. It’s contagious. He continues to look ahead with hope as he makes plans, works, prepares the lesson for his class at church, and accomplishes odd jobs around the house. He is living what we would characterize as a normal life, not overly wealthy or underprivileged, but in the normalcy, there is something abnormal. It is abounding hope. 

For over 45 years, my dad has listened to, seen, and walked with the God of hope.  In our home, we often saw him with his Bible open, as he sought to know the Lord.  During the work week, at night, after a long day, I would see him open his Bible and start taking notes. Hours on Saturdays were spent finishing up what he had studied all week. On Sunday morning, he would get up, fix us all cheese biscuits and eggs for breakfast. We would pile into the car and drive to church.  Dad would go and teach what he had been studying all week- how to find hope that is only found in Jesus.

This world needs hope. All around us, there is darkness and discouragement. Just this week, a 62-year-old man was riding his motorcycle in front of my home. We don’t know exactly what happened, but as he went around a curve in the road, he lost control and lost his life. As I looked down at the scene of a motorcycle in pieces and a white sheet covering a lost life, I grappled with unexpected, surprising, deep loss. We all live in that world. To find a person full of abounding hope is a gift.

We all hope. We hope our team wins their games. We hope to get something to eat when we are hungry. We hope that our insurance provider will cover our medical costs.  We hope to go here or go there and do this or that. Earthly hopes often disappoint. Hope that changes everything about us only comes from the God of hope. I remember the first time I saw Romans 15:13. It was a particularly dark time, although now I don’t remember why. I do remember needing hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. 

Wait! He is the God of Hope!?! And we can abound in hope through His Spirit? That was the best news I had heard in a long time. I remember writing the verse on an index card and carrying it with me. I would pull it out whenever I was feeling discouraged, reminding myself that I was in a relationship with the God of Hope. What an incredible privilege. Because we are in relationship with the God of hope, believers never have to live without hope again. Zechariah 9:12 tells us who we are because of who our God is.

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope.

Believers have received an identity name; it is a prisoner of hope. This verse encourages us to return to our stronghold; the stronghold of Truth that is God’s Word. I don’t know what you have been battling recently, but I know life in this fallen world is hard. You may feel like you are a prisoner to depression or circumstances or anxiety, but if you are a child of God, you are a prisoner of hope. You may be older and feel like you have outlived your purpose. Your body isn’t able to do what it used to do, and you feel useless, purposeless, hopeless. I invite you to run to the God of all hope, who can cause you to abound in hope no matter what your circumstances.

You may have lost someone or something precious to you. Please hear me say it’s ok to grieve. It’s ok to not be ok. Even in the loss, keep going to the God of hope. One day, He will faithfully bring you out, and you will abound in hope again. Even if nothing changes in this life, we will one day abound in hope for all eternity as we live face to face with the God of hope.

You may be weary from life's journey, whether from a health issue, trouble that never seems to end, a difficult relationship, or overwhelming financial strain. Our God is a God of hope, and He won’t leave us to ourselves or circumstances. I invite you to remember who you are, a prisoner of hope. I invite you to cry out to the God of hope who, by his power, can cause you to abound in hope. Romans 15:13.