What is hope and why is God the source of it?
As a verb, HOPE means to cherish or desire with anticipation or to expect with confidence. As a noun, HOPE means desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment.
Sounds about right. But why say God is the source of it? I mean, I can hope on my own, right?
Scripture says our faith comes from God and hope is a result of our faith, so God provides hope. He is the wellspring of it, in fact. We think we are bringing it up, carrying it through life all on our own, but we’re not. HOPE is supernatural.
Paul told the believers at Rome that he prayed this God of hope, this God who fulfilled the desires of His people that was accompanied by expectation of fulfillment, this God who died for them, would fill the believers with joy and peace because of their trust in Him.
What bliss! God, who gives me faith will fulfill the desires born of my faith, blessing me with joy AND peace because of my faith. Do you see it?
All we have to do is T R U S T God.
Now, that’s not the one-and-done trust used up at salvation. That’s the trust that knows God is always working for your good. Trust that His plans for you are better than breath itself. Trust that walks with you every moment, recognizing that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. This joy and peace is to be a benefit of our very real trust in the one and only very real God.
Sometimes our trust needs a tune-up. It needs reviving. It needs to be kickstarted. Sometimes we’ve starved it, not connecting our trust in God with the Source of that faith/trust/hope. It’s amazing that when we do reconnect with our Creator, our faith level moves up, our tank fills up, and continued connection keeps it at the full mark.
This is important, because out of our faith, our trust, comes every action. If we believe that God cares about our behavior, we’ll make necessary changes. If we believe He holds us in the palm of His hand, we won’t fret over the circumstances we see. All of our lives are affected by our faith.
If you’re not experiencing joy and peace, my prayer for you today is that you will reconnect with the King of kings through prayer and continued reading of His Word. If you’re struggling with that, let’s talk. You don’t have to go this alone. If you’re experiencing the joy and peace that seems ridiculous in times of pandemic and chaos, praise God for it and remain close to Him. If you’d like to share this amazing truth in your life, let’s talk. It’s good to share how good the Lord is to us.
Today. Let’s do it today.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
