The God of Hope
Week Twenty Four
June 8, 2025
And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
— Romans 15:12-13 (NET)
Our Father God is the source of all anchoring hope. His Son, our brother Jesus, is the object of our hope. And the Holy Spirit, living in us, is the one who fans a living hope in our hearts. The fullness of the godhead is at work in our lives; who could be against us!
Our Christian hope pertains not only to the business and matters of this life. We also hold closely to our breasts a hope for heaven, a place where the losses of this life will be swallowed up by the overwhelming satisfaction of gaining Christ and seeing every hope and desire fulfilled. We will one day ascend that final hill and enter the glorious rest of Jesus. But maybe the idea of spending forever somewhere you’ve never been is a scary thought to you. Understandably, hope’s enigmatic final destination of eternity leaves us with few answers and many questions.
Because of this, we must look to God who, by his Spirit, renews our minds, transforms our hearts, and turns our thoughts to things above. Former things will pass away and all will be made new. But this is not the language of loss; this is the language of desire fulfilled, of renewal and completion and perfection — this is the great and wondrous “Finally!” God will vindicate you; he will bring to pass his forever purposes for you. So don’t lose hope.
Sin causes loss and pervades this life —its effects corrupt and corrode like rust. Life progresses forward to death. But in heaven, relationship will rule with God as our God and we as his people. The walls of separation will fall like Jericho and intimacy will no longer be intimidated by fear and shame. We will see each other fully and stand before each other completely affirmed and accepted. That is something worthy of our hope.
May I bring you a small exhortation? Don’t let the experiences of this life lessen your level of hope. Abraham hoped against all hope, and so can you because the God you serve is the God of all hope. I pray these words from the song, “Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me” ¹ encourage you —
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
The one at work in you will surely bring your hope to fulfillment.
Monday
June 9, 2025
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
— Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
What makes up your list of “things hoped for”? Maybe that list is short or maybe it is filled with items yet to be realized. Behind our every hope is faith cheering, spurring us on to keep in the race until our hopes are realized. Hope that is seen is no hope at all, and faith knows that. Faith also knows that we don’t do well with holding on to what we can’t see. So, it roots us on. Its wind pushes at our backs and moves us forward when our legs are cramping and our lungs are burning. Maybe your faith seems small and your level of hope low right now. Faith is a gift, and I know a good Father who delights in giving good gifts to his children. I hope you’ll ask.
What ranks high on your list of “things hoped for”? Is this hope for something in this lifetime or is it a hope for something in the next life?
Why is hope that is seen really not hope? How is hope tied to faith?
Tuesday
June 10, 2025
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.
— Proverbs 13:12
Life’s disappointments can break us. It is terrible to be sick, but sickness of heart is the worst sickness of all. We’ve all felt the shock of having hope’s door shut in our face ... and locked. Today’s scripture may read like a statement of the obvious more than anything else, but the Lord didn’t give us Proverbs as a reference list of clever quotables. If we peer deeper, I think we’ll find a valuable life lesson: disappointment will come in this life, so look to the only one who can give you the one thing worthy of your longing. Jesus heals broken hearts; he binds up our wounds and gives us something we can hope in without fear. He gives us himself.
What is one thing that you have been hoping for but have not yet seen fulfilled? Has your level of hope for this one thing diminished over time?
What is one thing you look forward to in heaven, one thing you hope for? How do you think you will feel when you see this hope fulfilled?
Wednesday
June 11, 2025
For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED [in his expectations].”
— Romans 10:11 (AMP)
God will not call us foolish for placing our hope firmly in his Son. The misguided man places his hope in what he sees and understands, but we place our hope in what is unseen. Though we do not see him, we hope in him — Jesus, the object of our hope. Perhaps you’ve felt the sting of disappointment; perhaps your hope has been misplaced. Take courage in this, no one who places their hope in him will be put to shame. It’s not too late to reallocate your hope.
What have you put your hope in and been disappointed over? How do you handle the failing hopes of this life?
If our hope in Jesus doesn’t lead to disappointment or shame, what does it lead to? Do you think surprise is an inappropriate response to hope fulfilled?
Thursday
June 12, 2025
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
— Romans 5:5 (BSB)
Fear of disappointment can lead to negative hope. What is “negative hope?” It’s a self-protecting mechanism we sometimes adopt, an attitude that says, “I’d really like this to happen, but it’s not going to. I can be sure of that. What I hope for will NOT come to pass.” And when disappointment comes, our negative hope is fulfilled and the pain of being let down is not felt (at least that’s what we tell ourselves). But God has a better way; he shifts our hope in self to hope in Jesus. He has given us his Spirit to warm our hearts with his love, to remind us that we are his and he is ours. We have been marked, sealed, given a guarantee by his Spirit: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” That’s a promise you can hope in.
Have you ever adopted the “negative hope” attitude? Has this attitude been helpful in alleviating the pain of your disappointments?
Have you ever felt let down by God? Why do you think this was?
Friday
June 13, 2025
All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
— 1 John 3:3 (NIV)
Hope is the tightrope strung between the high buildings of who we are now and what we will be. Just as the absence of hope removes the wind from our sails, so this hope (of what we shall be) is a strong current drawing us towards our ultimate destination to seeing him as he is. Now we have Christ in us; then, glory. We hope for the eternal joy our Father will shower on us, his children. May this hope become a reality in our lives built on a strong and confident faith; may it unlock his purifying power in us until we see him face to face, and become like him.
What do you think it means that when we see Jesus we will be like him? Are there people in your life you wish were more like Jesus? How about yourself?
How does the hope of being shed of our sinful nature and becoming like Jesus motivate us to purify ourselves? Where do you think all hope ultimately comes from?