One of the greatest needs we all have is hope. As believers in Jesus Christ, we always have a reason to hope. Hope changes everything because it positions us to see what is in our life instead of what is missing.
Romans 15:13 speaks of hope. It says, I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. [1]
We serve the God of hope. Our Lord Jesus gives life-changing and life-sustaining hope. Biblical hope involves more than a feeling. It is more than a desire for the life we want. The hope revealed in the pages of the Bible is trustful expectation that God keeps His promises. Hope is really the center of the Christian faith.
In Isaiah 9:1, it talks about giving people hope when all seems gloomy. Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. [2]
We live in a sinful world, but in the midst of that, God sent His son to break through the darkness and despair to bring people hope. Isaiah says this darkness and despair will not go on forever and that it is coming to end. Why? A Savior is going to come into the world, a Savior who will change everything. This Savior is the Light of the world that we know as Jesus.
Paul describes Jesus Christ as our hope in 1 Timothy 1:1. This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope. [3] Jesus not only came to bring hope. He is our hope. We have hope because Jesus forgives us. Knowing Jesus brings contentment regardless of what I have done or difficult circumstances. Nothing can destroy this hope because it’s stored in heaven where no earthly power can touch it.
The good news is Jesus came to bring hope. To step into time to rescue us from our sin and call us to faith.
[1, 2, 3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Romans 15:13, Isaiah 9:1, 1 Timothy 1:1). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.