The Importance of Having Hope

Scripture: Romans 5:1-4 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
     
The Christian life by its very design of being a life of faith beyond sight depends upon the essentiality of also having hope.  The similarity of faith and hope is that both of them draw their confidence for the future based upon the fact of who the Lord is and what He has done historically and personally in the lives of those that are His people.  Whereas faith lays hold to the promises of God and rest solely upon them, hope is the positive attitude that is confident about life and its future outcomes.    If faith is our “yes” to God’s promises, then hope is the “amen” that looks to see them done when God chooses to bring them to past in our lives.
       
When we get saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we recognize through the teaching of God’s Word to us that we have entered into a relationship that requires that we grow and develop character that spans for the rest of our lives on this earth.  The above verses that are for our meditation, teach us that the Christian develops hope through three major areas: experience, endurance and encouragement.  
       
In the Book of Romans, the word hope occurs 15 times and is connected with the believer’s perseverance through various experiences by faith and the Word of God.

(1 )    Hope sustains us when the odds appear against us (Romans 4:18).
(2 )    Hope produces joy because it looks beyond the immediate circumstances to a promise
          from  God (Romans 5:2; 12:12; 15:13).
(3 )    Hope overcomes disappointment because there is the knowledge of God’s love no matter
         what (Romans 5:5)
(4 )    Hope gives us a certain expectation now as we wait for the future of our salvation to come
         (Romans 8:24, 25).
(5 )    Hope is fed by the Word of God filling us with His testimony about Himself as we apply it
          and trust it each day of our lives (Romans 15:4).
     
One of the most tragic things in life is for a believer to lose hope or feel like there is no more basis for hope in the promises of God.  Hope is the eyes of faith in that it not only sees the promise, but it is also the hands of faith that clings to the expectation of the promise and never releases it no matter what is seen.   “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  When faith is the noun then hope must be the verb that gives faith its action in our lives.  It tells us that at the core of our faith is a substance that is formed into a hope we can rest upon.  Again, if faith is our “yes” to God’s promises, then hope is the “amen” that looks to see them done when God chooses to bring them to past in our lives for His Glory.

Prayer:  Our Father who is in heaven, You are the giver and sustainer of our hope in this world. Please we pray that You will keep that fire of hope raging in us so that we will never lose heart in this world we live in today, in Jesus name, amen.

(by Pastor Wayne Cockell)