Hope Helps

Psalm 31:19 – 24

Hope is the happy anticipation of good, favorable and confident expectations. It is earnestly anticipating and expecting through experiencing delay and disappointment.

Little wonder God calls hope “the anchor of the soul.” (Hebrews 6:19 NASB)

Hope realizes that it sometimes takes God time to work. It is the catalyst which makes divine ferment possible. It is the incentive which leads to unrealized perfection. Without hope man is less than a beast, he is a malfunctioning organism.

The media has exposed us to persons devastated by hurricanes, tornadoes, raging fires, floods, and crimes in homes, schools, and streets. Many have been absolutely inundated with sorrow and grief resulting from these tragedies. Some have rebounded, some have not. Often one thing makes the difference —- hope.

Doubts often slip into our lives like termites in a building. These termite-like thoughts eat away at our faith. This happens when:

Things I think should not happen, happen.

When things I think should happen don’t happen. Then what do you do?

When things I think should happen NOW, happen later.

God knows what He is doing regardless of the waiting period.

These three things cause termites of doubt to work.  It is then that the All-Pro of termite extermination is needed. That is, hope. 

Famed American cardiologist, Dr. R. McNair Wilson, remarks in his autobiography, Doctor’s Progress, “Hope is the medicine I use more than any other …. Hope can cure nearly anything.” 

“Saturday Review” reported “Hope …. is medicinal. This is not merely a statement of belief, but a conclusion proved by meticulously controlled scientific experiments.”

To be most effective this hope must be Christo-centric. Timothy expresses this in four all-inclusive words: “Christ Jesus our hope….” (I Timothy 1:1).

There are two ways of looking at life’s defeats and delays:

THE WAY OF THE DISILLUSIONED – Some become disillusioned because of the three factors mentioned above. 

They fail to realize hope in the future fills the present with energy.

THE WAY OF THE CHRISTIAN – Hope accepts trials. It exists alongside the potential for despair. Hope isn’t blind – it sees through the eyes of God.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”