If you’re lacking joy or peace or both, try trusting God and putting your hope in Him and Him alone (Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 42:5). He is “the God of hope,” so run to Him when you’re feeling hopeless.
There are plenty of things we put our hope in that are unreliable at best and certain to fail us at worst. These include things like money, the government, world peace, and more. The only true and certain hope, in which we can have absolute confidence, is God! And this is what the Word of God says about hope…
Hope for the Disappointed
“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 5:5).
The hope referenced in Romans 5:5 is specifically hope in God! It is only hope in God which doesn’t disappoint (καταισχύνει) or more specifically, put us to shame, because it is only God who cannot fail us.
The same word is used in Psalm 22:5: “In you they trusted and were not disappointed.”
Hope in God “doesn’t let the believer down,” explains The New American Commentary on Romans. Again, the reason is because God cannot let the believer down. He is incapable of failing us. If you are disappointed with life (or people or circumstances), put your hope in God. Trust in Him alone!
Hope for Those in Need of Joy and Peace
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
This promise that God will fill believers with “all joy and peace” is conditional on them “believing” or trusting in Him. As we trust in God, He fills us with joy and peace. If we fail to trust in Him, our trust will automatically shift to objects which can and will fail us (ourselves, others, temporal pleasures, etc.). Every day of our lives, we have a choice of whether to trust God or not. The choice to trust Him is rewarded with all joy and peace.
If you’re lacking joy or peace or both, try trusting God and putting your hope in Him and Him alone (Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 42:5). He is “the God of hope,” so run to Him when you’re feeling hopeless.
Hope for the Depressed and Despairing
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation” (Psalm 42:5).
Is your soul or spirit “cast down” or depressed? Are you in turmoil (disturbed, confused, or uncertain)? Again, hope in God is your solution!
In this Psalm, David was grieving, remembering happier times. He was also being taunted by those who didn’t share his faith in God (Psalm 42:3-4). Perhaps you can relate. He was sad and discouraged, but he knew that God would step in to deliver him and restore his joy. Hope in God never fails to be the answer for our souls!
Hope You Can Rejoice In
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
Imagine if you could know for sure that tomorrow you would win the lottery! Consider how you would rejoice today, even before the check was in your hand. That is the kind of hope the Bible is talking about – the kind that allows for certainty in the future. Since God is infallible, or incapable of failing, we can rejoice today in our eternal life with Him. We can take every promise He has ever made “to the bank.” As believers in Jesus, our future is certain!
Rejoice in the hope of:
- Our citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20)
- The glory of God someday being fully manifested (Romans 5:2)
- Every knee someday bowing at the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11)
- All nations and languages being represented before the throne of Jesus (Revelation 7:9)
- Eternity void of death, mourning and pain (Revelation 21:4)
The list could go on and on, but the point is that if we are in Christ, we can rejoice in hope!
Hope for the Weak and Weary
“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31).
It’s not just older people who get tired and weary; we all do! We all have the potential to stumble and fall in life. But the prophet Isaiah reminded us that strength will be renewed for those who hope in the Lord.
Many of us spend a great deal of time and money pursuing cures for low energy. We work out to increase strength and endurance. We drink copious amounts of caffeine and energy drinks trying to put pep back in our step. We stay hydrated, take vitamin supplements, spend time in the sunshine, and even work standing up in an attempt to be at our best physically and mentally. Some essential oils even boast the ability to boost energy.
But the Bible offers a spiritual solution that trumps all physical ones – hope in the Lord instead of in things that can fail. It’s guaranteed to renew your strength. In fact, the Bible says that without God, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Just like the key to Samson’s strength was the length of his hair, our strength depends on our hope in God!
Hope for Those Running Out of Patience
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24-25).
If you’ve already arrived at your vacation destination, you don’t have to hope you get there. It’s time to enjoy the hard-earned time off! As Romans 8:24-25 puts it, we don’t hope for what we already have – we hope for what is yet to come.
A 1987 Heinz Ketchup commercial used to say, “The best things come to those who wait.” Before the invention of plastic squeeze bottles, it could take ketchup some time to pour out of the old glass bottles, but it was worth the wait. A hamburger and fries with ketchup is simply better (author’s opinion)! If you’re spiritually short-sighted or impatient, keep looking ahead – God’s promises won’t fail. The best things come to those who wait (on the Lord)!
Hope for the Spiritually Dead
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
Before we are “born again,” we are spiritually “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). When our mothers give birth to us, we are born physically. When we place our faith in Christ, we are born spiritually. We are transformed from death to life and “born again to a living hope!” Our hope in Christ is living – meaning it’s true and it leads to life. In fact, it leads to eternal life.
For those who are still spiritually dead, put your hope in Christ Jesus! Through God’s great mercy and because Christ is alive, you also can live forever.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Josh Boot
Kristi Walker has been a missionary in Berlin, Germany for over 19 years working with CrossWay International Baptist Church. She is the author of three books: Disappointment: A Subtle Path Away from Christ, Convinced: Applying Biblical Principles to Life’s Choices, and Big Picture: 66 Books, 1 Message.
