In my daily study and prayer time, I ran across this poignant devotional that spoke to my heart and says some of the things that I want you to know about hope!
Have you ever discovered money in your jacket or pants pocket that you forgot about? I love when this happens" It's like receiving an unexpected bonus. The funny part is, I had the money the whole time but just forgot about it. This happens often with our abundant riches in Christ. We always have them but fail to use them, and when we have the blessings of God but don't apply them to our lives, we're missing out on the life God intended for us.
God can help you fully know His love, and when you know you have His love, you can truly grasp His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy, His friendship, His peace, His provision, and His presence at work in you and all around you. Understanding that God loves you completely and immensely fills you with unlimited love and unlimited hope.
There's one problem with hope. It doesn't come naturally. It's natural for people to cross their fingers and hope for the best. It's harder to expect confidently in God. But here's the deal: to have hope, we must know God. Why? Because God is our hope! So, for us to live a life of hope, we must know the object of our hope. There is a worldly hope that people use in everyday life which means, a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Where you hope to get the job or for your family to get to and from their destinations safely. With this type of hope the outcome is uncertain as the world crosses their fingers and hope for the best.
However, the above-mentioned hope is quite different from the hope that the scriptures refer to. Biblical hope-is forward looking faith. It is confident belief, based not on things experienced, but on the word of God that is the future He says will happen. Hope is a future certainty that gives you joy, peace and patience in the present; https://finallyfamilyhomes.org/bible-verses-about-hope/). This hope that Christians have in Christ is not wishful thinking. The Bible's use of hope conveys and entirely different meaning. Biblical hope is "confident expectation."
If you aren't walking in peace and joy, it's time to reset your thinking! God doesn't need us to have a mountain of hope. He only needs a seed to grow it into something to sustain us in the good times and in the devastating times. Your battle may seem to have no victory in sight, but all hope is not lost.
Today, be encouraged to make the God of hope, your hope. Through Christ, you can have a confident expectation that far exceeds worldly hope.
(life.church devotional paraphrased)
