I’m very excited for you to meet my friend Heather from Lessons From Home! She is guest posting this week to kick off our series on God’s gift of comfort. Now is the perfect time to refresh our hope in Christ that brings comfort and peace!
If I were to choose a time in my generation in which we believers needed to band together in our hope in Christ, it is now! With a worldwide pandemic, political and social unrest, and increasing fear and anger bombarding us at every turn, we need to find our hope and peace in our Lord and Savior.
It is easy to become swept up in the emotions, social media, and news, isn’t it? Do you feel everyone feeding on the fear? I do!
No, we cannot control world events, but we can control what goes on in our own hearts and families. It’s time to be a light. It’s time to not just talk about our hope in Christ but live it.
What Does Hope Mean?
Let’s begin with the basics. What does hope mean?
Hope:
- To cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.
- Trust
- To desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfilment
- To expect with confidence
For the purpose of this post, let’s focus on the fourth definition, “to expect with confidence” because this is the hope we have in Christ. This is the hope closely related to faith that we read about throughout scripture.
What Does it Mean to Hope in Christ?
To hope in Christ means we put our trust in him. Through him we have salvation, freedom from sin, healing (physical and emotional), peace, love, joy, and strength.
Paul begins the famous faith chapter with these words.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1,KJV)
He goes on to list some of the men of faith throughout scripture: Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses’s parents, etc. Paul emphasizes their faith:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13 KJV)
These great pillars of faith saw the promises afar off. They understood that this earth was not their home and their hope rested in the promised Messiah.
Why We Lose Hope
- We focus more on this world than the world to come. We have physical and emotional needs. The basics of life, food, water, jobs, homes, love, safety, etc. are universal, but we must keep in mind that we are only pilgrims on this earth, looking ahead to our permanent home in heaven.
- Our goals and ambitions need to rest in our Lord and savior.
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 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.” (Romans 8:22-25 NKJV)
- We take our eyes off Christ. Closely related to our first point, let’s focus on what it means to keep our eyes on Christ. The best example of this that I can think of is the story of Peter walking on the water.
“Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” (Matthew 14:25-31 NKJV)
- We are pushing through with our own strength instead of Christ’s. I am guilty of being independent, anyone else? We sometimes battle through the hard stuff for a bit BEFORE we come to God in prayer and surrender.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
- Life is hard! Am I right? It is easy to become discouraged when you endure one difficult situation after another. The Apostle Paul knew this kind of tribulation all too well.
“…Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:2-5 NKJV)
Jesus is the Hope of the World
If you look to political leaders, celebrities, pastors, and family members to bring you hope, you will only be disappointed.
Jesus alone is the hope of the world. He is the savior God promised way back in Genesis 3 after Adam and Eve sinned. He is the light in the darkness. It is because of him we have hope of redemption, that we can stand before the throne of a righteous God with confidence. It is through Christ that we can overcome the pain and suffering in our lives and in the world.
Jesus alone is the hope of the world.
Examples of Hope in the Bible
I was listening to a preacher recently and he pointed out something that I had never caught before and it gives itself perfectly to our topic.
“At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died.
When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.
Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.
But Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.” (Acts 9:36-41 NKJV)
Now, this story is amazing on its own, but I want to point out what the preacher mentioned because I found it fascinating that I had never noticed it before.
After Dorcas dies, instead of burying her, they placed her in an upper room and sent for Peter.
They had HOPE that he would raise her from the dead. They clearly expected it, otherwise they would have buried her.
That is the “expect with confidence” we need in our lives!
Bible Verses about Hope
The Bible is full of verses that give us hope. These are great ones for when you are feeling discouraged or the world is too much for you. Be sure to check out my series on hope for more!
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” (Romans 12:12 NKJV)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.“(1 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV)
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
Psalms of Hope
David knew how to praise God in every situation. I am convinced that no matter what I am feeling, I can find a Psalm that expresses my emotions. What I love about David’s psalms is even when he is feeling downtrodden and hopeless or his heart is full of fear and despair, he always recognizes God and praises him. David is an amazing example of staying focused on God and resting in hope and faith.
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.” (Psalm 39:7)
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 33:18)
“Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God.” (Psalm 146:3-5)
How to Change Our Mindset and Focus on Our Hope in Christ
Now that we know what hope is and have seen hope in Christ throughout Scripture, how can we act this hope out in our daily lives?
- Stay in the word. It is easy to get caught up in social media, the news, texts from family and friends, but remember that we need the word of God going into our minds and hearts constantly to feed us truth and keep our faith growing.
- Put music on, write your praises in a journal, say your praises out loud. However you chose to praise, keep a song and gratitude in your heart at all times.
- Give thanks. Turn your thoughts toward the goodness of God and the evil of this world is a little easier to bear.
- Speak of God to others.
- Memorize scripture.
- Make prayer a habit. Whether you have a certain time of day that you bring yourself before the Lord or you pray throughout the day, make it a priority.
How do you keep your hope in Christ? I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Blessings!
Heather
Heather is a homeschooling mom of five who enjoys learning and exploring with her family as well as long walks outside, coffee, and all things chocolate. At Lessons from Home, she writes to encourage others in their faith, parenting, and homeschooling journeys. She also writes about grief, loss, and the healing that comes from Christ. Be sure to check her out on Facebook and Instagram!
February’s verses are on the blessing of God’s Love! We’d love to have you join us! ⇓
Photo Credit: Canva, AnnMarie Anderson
Excellent, thank you, Heather