Hope

On one hand hope is as rock solid as a mountain having its firm foundation in God. On the other hand hope is as fragile as a dandelion blowing in the wind. One swift breeze of hardships and hope can slip right out of our grasp.

A person could live right, plan for the future, save and invest their money wisely only to see hope vanish with one doctor's visit or one tragic phone call. That is the hope fades if the source of that hope is not God.

If hope is built on circumstances then hope will ebb and flow depending on what we are going through. When things are going well then hope will soar like an eagle. When adversity hits then hope craters like a meteor falling from the sky.

True hope can be defined as confident expectation. This confident expectation is not built on our abilities, our resources, or our wisdom. Hope has its foundation in God Himself. As long as God reigns supreme on the throne of this universe, which is forever, there is hope for the child of God.

Today a young husband and father of two tykes buried his young wife way too soon. Where is hope? What kind of hope can God really offer this man? First, there is the hope that his wife, as a lover of Jesus, will live forever in eternity. She is now healed of cancer that ravaged her health and vitality. There is the hope that God will not leave or forsake this grieving husband or his boys. There is the hope that God will be near them in this time of brokenness. There is the hope that day by day and hour by hour God will sustain them. There is the hope that God will lift the burden of grief and sorrow day by day and hour by hour in time. There is also the hope of a great reunion one day.

Hope is as solid as God. Hope is as sure as the promises of God. Hope is as certain as the faithfulness of God through the ages. Hope never fails when God is the source and author.

Many times there will be cause to need hope. Many times things will look dismal. There will be days when it may look utterly hopeless but that is not the truth. As surely as God rules and reigns there is hope. And now Lord for what do I wait? My hope is in You. [Ps 39:7] My soul, waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. [Ps 62:5] Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer. [Rom 12:12] 

Rejoice in hope even when it looks hopeless. The cause for rejoicing and the cause for the hope is the faithfulness of God Himself. [I Cor 1:9] The end result of the hope is persevering in tribulations. We press on to hope. The means to gaining and maintaining this hope is being devoted to prayer. With all this in mind hope is not nearly so elusive. Hope is as rock solid as the character of God. We need never be without hope again no matter what we have to face or endure.