Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom 15:13

We are approaching another year of sharing our “Message of Hope.”  Today, we’d like to take a few snapshots of the word “hope” and pass along the one we’ve aimed to capture on a weekly basis.  So, to all our hopeful family and friends, here goes…

Let’s begin with the word “hope” we hear most often–the one that contains the most doubt. It’s the one accompanied with finger crossing.  We hope it won’t rain, we hope we’ll get better, we hope we’ll be able to make it, we hope we’ll win a grand prize and so on.  Then we have the “hope” with a subtle touch of doubt.  It goes something like this…. “I have every hope of attending.  My level of hope is as high as it gets concerning such and such.” The “hope” in our weekly message is different than these.  It is a confident expectation that sheds an absolute certainty; not one based on superstition, luck, or the simple language we use to pass the day.

Preacher Charles Finney had this to say on the subject: “Hope is like the sun which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burdens behind us.  It is like the cork to a net, which keeps the soul from sinking in despair.  Hope is faith holding our hand in the dark, and it’s grief’s best music. Of all the ills that men endure, is the only cheap and universal cure.  It is the last thing ever lost, and it is putting faith to work when doubting would be much easier.  Hope is the major weapon against the suicide impulse.  Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.”

Colossians 1:27 declares, “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  The message we’ve purposed to share is this brand of hope that is available to each of us. We trust God has imparted this hope on a personal basis to those who are open to His nature.  It means so much more than the plain hope we use in wishful chatter.  God has provided us with His anthem of the future. The victory is ours because we know He lives as the hopeful song in our hearts. Victory is ours because He who gave us a vision of His ultimate power is also present with us to deal with all the forces that will oppose us.

May this Message of Hope be a special gift for you today and always.  The God behind it loves you!

Psalm 31:24; Rom 8:24-25; Rom 12:12  Rom 15:4; Num 23:19