The soft question reached my ears on a summer evening not too long ago. Between the field of fireflies and the starlit sky the question lingered. “What do we have to live for if we let go of hope?” It was an admonishing reminder, yea, even a wake-up call from my daughter.
Questioning Hope
I had been plagued with a respiratory sickness that seemed to go on forever. It had been a roller coaster of ups and downs. Moreover, I was lamenting the fact that it seemed I would never get better. Despair seemed to have grabbed a hold of me with a tenacity that didn’t want to let go. Then those words came and slipped into my heart. The question stayed with me as we reached home and in the days ahead. It sent me back to the Word. Back to the Scriptures that were written to provide us a confidence as we walk through this life. (Romans 15:4) Because there is One whom we can fasten our trust in.
In fact, the writer of Romans calls him the ‘God of hope’ (Romans 15:13) The word hope brings with it the meaning of expectation, confidence and trust. Our God is One whom we can place our trust and confidence in despite our circumstances. Moreover, God wants to fill us with joy and peace. In other words, He wants to cram us full as we believe or trust in him. As we believe, we will find that hope will be found in excess. It will overflow. Our confidence, our expectations will be fastened to God as the power of the Holy Spirit works in us.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
Renewing the Mind
As we face the different situations in our life, we must always go back to the Word. Back to the Author of life. That is to say, we must fix our eyes on God who is our hope. When we find our vision has narrowed and our focus has turned inward a fault line develops in our thinking. Moreover, our outlook dwindles and our trust diminishes. This combination of circumstances can derail us unless we recognize where our real hope lies.
On this journey with Jesus we must keep resetting and renewing our mind in the Scriptures that were given to us for the purpose of experiencing that belief in Christ. As we readjust our vision and broaden our outlook with an uplook toward God, hope rekindles. God wants us to be filled crammed full of his hope, joy and peace. Let’s continue to reset and renew our mind until the habit of our uplook becomes a part of our spiritual DNA.
Hope for the Journey
This week take the time to feed your soul on his Word. If despair has you in its grip seek out time to renew your mind with the confidence that God gives. Here are some Scriptures to get you started on your journey of hope.
- Psalm 146:5.
- Jeremiah 17:17.
- Romans 5:1-5.
- 1 Peter 1:3.
Starlit skies and fireflies have become a message of hope to me. A reminder not to let go of trust in God. My daughter’s question still lingers “What do we have to live for if we let go of hope?” Without the God of hope there is nothing lasting to live for. He is the only One we can pin our hopes on.
Furthermore, this question is a monument of God’s faithfulness in my own life. He doesn’t leave me in despair, but comes in gentle ways to cram me full with his assurance as I still my heart and become attentive to his voice.
As God ministers to your soul, remind someone today that there is hope. Encourage them not to let go of hope. Life may be holding you in the grip of despair, but make that choice to hold on to God. Tether your soul to the God of hope. There is a song with a phrase that sums it up. “No matter what you’re going through or what the future holds, because Jesus lives, there is hope.”
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