Hope 

Hello there, thank you for taking the time to read the latest blog post.

It’s been a long week leading up to this post. A week I would not have been able to get through if it wasn’t for hope.

Nonetheless, let’s get straight to it. In this edition we will be diving into the topic of hope and how it plays a role in our everyday lives.

I would go as far as saying that hope is one of the ingredients needed to soldier on with and in life and not just any hope, hope in God.

”This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.“
‭‭(Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Where we put our hope is the key difference.

We will go through:

1. What hope is?
2. What it means to be hopeful?
3. How do I remain hopeful? 

What is hope?

Hope, is interlinked with faith (see Hebrews 11:1 NLT) and hinges on belief.

According to the Webster’s Bible dictionary¹, hope is defined as “a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety”.

In my definition, hope is sustained through something or someone, and in this context it is God.

What it means to be hopeful?

Being hopeful helps with relieving stress and anxiety, gaining the strength we need to muster on.

This type of hope is purely dependent on the Lord – ‘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 40:31 NIV).

What may be challenging to do at times is to rely and hope in the Lord when our flesh and society may tell us we can do it and how a can do attitude is all we need.

How do I remain hopeful?

Now, this is interesting because remaining hopeful is tough at times.

I sometimes find myself leaning on my own understanding and trying by all means necessary to come up with strategies to solve challenges.

In fact, I used to think that I had to work twice as hard as anyone because I believed that things never came easy for me.

What changed my mind about how I view my situations wasn’t about what people said or saw from the outside.

Instead, the Person responsible for my changed perspective on my life was and still is God.

I started to see His truth in my life. It wasn’t after I began to learn to trust His timing, submit all my plans to Him, praying before making a decision, reading His Word and hoping in Him and not my strength that I started seeing that He controls the outcome.

This doesn’t mean I do less and cross my fingers while waiting on something to happen. 

It means that I was obedient to whichever season I was in (”For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.“ – Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT), I would still continue working and applying my skills however I could while I waited for God’s appointed time for me. I immersed myself even more in His word, allowing Him to work on me (my heart, mind and Spirit). 

I started to notice that God was giving me a chance to fix my eyes on Him and I hadn’t noticed that I was doing the opposite.

I was given an opportunity to pick; God or my fleshly desires. I’m happy that I’d been given the Grace to notice and choose God.

My challenges became my lessons, it was no longer about how hard things were and came by, it was the beginning of my comprehension of how God was teaching me about Him and myself.

My goals changed from making new plans which depended on myself to trusting God to make a plan for me to follow.

In a nutshell, this is how I remain hopeful and I hope they may help you too:

I put God first in everything 

• ”But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.“ (Matthew 6:33 AMP)

I trust that God knows more and that He should order my steps

• ”For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.“ – (Jeremiah 29:11 NASB1995)

Before making any decision I pray about it and ask God for direction

• ”The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.“ (Psalms 37:23-24 NLT)

I trust in God’s timing

• ”For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.“ (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT)

I let the Lord be the potter of your life

• ”And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.“ (Isaiah 64:8 NLT) 

I take everything/feeling to God

• ”“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”“ (Matthew 11:28-30 AMP)

There are a lot more principles which may help with allowing us to hope in God as the source of our being. 

What are some of the principles you apply to keep your hope alive? Let us know in the comment section.

Conclusion

To be able to apply hope, we need to know more of what God says in His word. 

I believe that putting God first in everything we do, placing our hope in Him helps to help us manage the many challenges we may be faced with. 

The challenges won’t disappear, but knowing that I have a Father I can lean on and put my hope in makes all the difference. 

1. https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/hope ↩︎