Oftentimes when we think of hope, we may think of it as wishful thinking. Phrases may come to mind like “I hope that the weather changes.” “I hope that things will get better.” “I hope that it works out.” But hope is much more than this – to have true hope, we must change what we place are hope in. Or better yet, WHO.
Jesus Christ is our true source of hope.
Have you ever faced a challenge that felt impossible, but was made a little bit easier when you were comforted or supported by a family member or a good friend?
That is essentially what hope in Jesus does for us – it reminds us that even though things are hard, He is always with us.
Hope in Jesus can be defined as a confident expectation that God will fulfill the promises that He has made to you. This type of hope is much more than wishing – it is a conscious choice to trust in Him and to believe that things will get better as we center our lives on Jesus and His teachings. Here are three specific blessings that can come from having hope in Him.
1) Hope in Jesus gives us STRENGTH
It can be hard to stay positive when we are amid stressful or difficult experiences, dealing with addiction or other trials. The demands of the world can feel heavy and may cause damage to us emotionally, physically, or spiritually. The good news is that our Savior overcame the world and knowing this can fill us with hope. Our hope in Jesus has a strengthening power. This hope increases our faith and our ability to keep moving forward despite the difficult things we are facing, one day at a time. Hope in Jesus can bind up our broken hearts and heal every wound. He truly promises that when we have hope in Him, we will be given strength like that of an eagle.
2) Hope in Jesus leads us to develop PATIENCE
Every struggle that we face in life is unique. There is no way to know how long we will be facing a specific trial – it might last for days, weeks, months or even years. Waiting for relief can be disheartening and we may feel like God has forgotten about us. We may believe that it would be easier to give up or turn away from Him in our frustration.
Most of the time when we pray and ask for help, we do not receive immediate answers to our prayers. It is even less likely for us to receive exactly what we prayed for in the moment we want to receive it. But that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us or is not aware of us. He is always blessing us and sending us love. We are the ones that must open our hearts and our eyes to acknowledge those blessings.
As we develop hope in Jesus, we can increase our capacity to be patient and endure as we are in the middle of hard situations. As we actively wait for Jesus to fulfill His promises to us with hope, He will keep His promises.
3) Hope in Jesus brings PEACE
We do not need to remain stuck in darkness. We do not need to stay in a place of despair or discouragement, wishing that things in our lives were different. Hope in Jesus gives us peace as we trust that good things are coming!
Everything happens for a reason, and the challenging times in our lives serve a purpose. They can help us to learn and grow in the ways that He sees fit, so that we can be better prepared for the blessings that He plans to give us. No matter what, He will bless us with what is best and what will help us the most, not with the things that we want.
Throughout your life, there will be people who will disappoint you. There will be things that fall through. There will be things that change unexpectedly or cause pain, heartache, and sorrow. Jesus is the one constant source of light and love that we can have hope in. We never have to worry about Him letting us down or disappointing us. He is constant and will always be there for us. Hope in Jesus is like an anchor that keeps us steady when everything else seems to be changing around us.
When we choose to place our hope in Christ, we will find peace even in our most trying circumstances.
