The Great Hope

Psalm 33:8-22 "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-- He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

Not so long ago, my wife & I drove out to visit my brother and his family in Arizona. It was a great trip, spending time with family and experiencing the love that God created us for. One morning, out of the blue, my ten year old niece asks me what my favorite word is. I said: “Joy”, but what I remember more is what she said when I returned the question. Her favorite word was “Hope”. She has hope for all people on Earth, who do not have enough money to live, who do not have a house to live in and children who don’t have the basic necessities of life. Her hope is that their needs be met. What a great hope! Now that got me thinking about the sure hope that we have as Christians in God, our salvation in Christ and our eternal home.

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “Hope” as: The desire and expectation of good, with an expectation of fulfillment. Wikipedia states: Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life (i.e. I hope that you have a nice day, I hope for the best, etc.). The “great hope” of Christianity is different than the optimistic wish or feeling that may or may not come to fruition. Hope is not doubt looking for evidence. Hebrews 11:1 explains Hope as: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” We do not hope for something that we already have or achieve. Eternal life with the Lord in Heaven is the goal, and this pilgrimage on Earth is the journey to that Kingdom of God, filled with Divine ordained learning experiences and duties. With no doubt, the Christian stands on the promises in the Word of God with certainty, the blessed assurance of salvation in His Son Jesus Christ, adoption into the family of God as children, and ever-lasting life, though we are not yet in Heaven, have only a slight vision of the Kingdom to come and cannot fully comprehend its true splendor. Psalm 62:5 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." (In Him & from Him) “confident” hope, now & forever, in His word & laws, in His unfailing love, and we wait (our Refuge, our redemption, and our shield). This is the eternal perspective that brings a peace of God that transcends all understanding.

1 Corinthians 13:12-13 “Now (on Earth) we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then (in Heaven) we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” In this life, here today, we live in faith, hope and love. The reason that love is the greatest of these virtues is: when we finish this life and get to Heaven, we no longer need faith or hope, because what we had faith and hope in Christ, is face to face in front of us. Romans 8:24-25 says, "For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." This spiritual truth should guide our steps daily, filled with love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control: the fruit of the Spirit. To walk in the “Light of Christ” and the “word of truth” – the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 "You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Got Hope?

Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

Brian