May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the Holy Spirit’s power….We wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. (Romans 15:13; Titus 2:13-14)
Hope is Powerful
Admiral William H. McRaven writes about lessons he learned during Navy SEAL training that have helped him and can help all of us. He said:
Hope is the most powerful force in the universe. With hope you can inspire nations to greatness. With hope you can raise up the downtrodden. With hope you can ease the pain of unbearable loss. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference. We will all find ourselves neck deep in mud someday. That is the time to sing loudly, to smile broadly, to lift up those around you and give them hope that tomorrow will be a better day.1
Christian Hope is Focused on Christ
Jesus-followers are not just optimistic, we focus on Jesus and our hope is wrapped up in Him. This is more than just positive thinking, we focus on a Person, who lived for us, died for our sins, rose to give us everlasting life that begins now, helps us all during this life, and will return for us at the end of the age. The verses above call Christ our Blessed Hope.
All other relief is only secondary and temporary. When He returns, Jesus will wipe every tear from our eyes and take away all death, mourning, crying, and pain.2 He will make everything all better. Martin Luther advised, “Live as if Christ died yesterday, as if He rose this morning, and as if He is coming back tomorrow.” Great advice! Dr. Leon Morris said that Jesus’ Second Coming is mentioned on average once every 25 verses in the New Testament. God keeps reminding us to be hopeful.
How can we grow in Jesus-focused hope? Here are some thoughts:
Hope in Christ Grows Through Bible Meditation
The Apostle Paul wrote: “Everything written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”3 Our confidence in God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and His faithfulness grows through careful, prayerful Scripture study which is blessed by God the Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks in the Bible. Like Jesus, the Spirit is a Person, not a force or thing, who teaches, guides, comforts, and prays for us. He’s the divine Author of the whole Bible and we need Him to light up the Scriptures and change us.
Scripture says: You, Lord, keep my lamp burning. My God turns my darkness into light….The unfolding of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple….Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your teachings.4
When you feel too discouraged to read the Bible yourself, get someone else to read to you and pray. They will be blessed too!
Hope in Christ Grows by Gravitating to Gratitude
Scripture says: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”5 No matter what bad stuff invades our life, the Lord calls us to appreciate the good He sends us alongside the troubles. Intentional gratefulness changes our perspective and helps our hope in Jesus to swell. Thanks-giving is good and thanks-living is better.6
When we don’t feel grateful for anything, let’s study the Scriptures to remind us of all the ways the Lord has already blessed us in Jesus and the blessings that are still to come.
Hope in Christ Grows in Personal Worship
Matthew Henry said: “In thanking God, we fasten upon His favors to us. In praising and adoring God, we fasten upon His perfections.” Both thanksgiving and praise are acts of worship. Our word worship comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word that literally reads worth-ship, appreciating and savoring the Lord’s excellence, goodness, honor, and value. J. I. Packer says, “Those who know God best are those who worship Him most. They look at Him in love longest.”7
Right now in heaven, people and angels are saying:
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
To receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
And honor and glory and praise!
You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.
You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased for God people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
(Revelation 4:11, 5:9-13)
Worshiping the Lord individually, as families, in small groups, and with the whole church congregation gets us out of ourselves and our troubles. Worship helps us focus less on what we can’t do, and focus more on what God can do to solve our situations that seem hopeless. Jesus says, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”8
Hope in Christ Grows by Opting for Optimism and Optimists
Discouraging information and people surround us, so Jesus calls us to choose life-giving and uplifting thoughts and companions.9 He commands us to avoid people who are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.10 Wow! The Lord says we must be more careful about who we hang around with.
Scripture says: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming….And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”11 That’s the best kind of optimism and we need people who will help remember these things.
Hope in Christ Grows by Enjoying Freedom in God’s Forgiveness
Guilt (over our own wrongs) and grudge holding (over others’ wrongs against us) sap our spiritual strength and stamina. No wonder Jesus commands us to pray every day, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”12 Showing grace to others by forgiving demonstrates the grace Jesus has already shown us. Remember, we promise to forgive others every time we pray “The Lord’s Prayer.”
A clean slate and a clear conscience with the Lord and others allows His spiritual sunshine, moisture, and nutrients to nourish our hope in Him. When we forget about getting back or getting even, we resemble our Heavenly Father, proving ourselves to be His true children.
Hope in Christ Grows by Loving Others
Hope looks up to Jesus and His loving kindness. That’s the vertical dimension. But then Christ moves us to look around us (horizontal dimension) and show kindness to people in need. Loving others includes at least:
●Praying for God’s best for them, including their salvation
●Sacrificing and putting their needs ahead of our own
●Sharing our time, talent, and treasure liberally13
Scripture says: Give generously and do so without a grudging heart. Then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to….The generous will prosper. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.14
Remember, all that we are and have was freely poured out to us by God. So we must be good stewards of what God has given us to advance His kingdom, not our own selfish interests.
Hope in Christ Grows as We Focus on His Certain Return
I mentioned Titus 2:13 above and repeat it now: “We wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Our Savior really came down into human history 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem and He will really come down again soon to gather His followers and bring us home. That’s our blessed hope! It’s wrapped up in a Person, Jesus!
So we sing:
Jesus lives, and so shall I. Death, your sting is gone forever!
He who chose for me to die, lives, the bands of death to sever.
He shall raise me from the dust: Jesus is my Hope and Trust.15
Getting Started
Try one to practice one or more of these items each day. They can help us make progress in hopefulness. The Bible is an optimistic book. It has a happy ending with Jesus and His people triumphing over evil. All pains and problems will be purged forever when the Lord returns. For those who cling to Christ, Heaven awaits us. And Jesus’ hope now casts His warm glow over our present lives, making even our worst days bearable. Praise the Lord!
Overall note: Some ideas adapted and expanded from Sue Patton Thoele, former hospice chaplain and bereavement group leader. I heard a recorded message of hers years ago.
Notes (various Bible translations are used): 1 Admiral William H. McRaven, Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World (2017), p. 93-94. 2 Rev 21:4. 3 Rom 15:4. 4 Psalm 118:28, 119:11,18,98-99. 5 1 Thess 5:16-18. 6 Matthew Henry. 7 From class notes. 8 Luke 18:27. 9 Deut 30:19, Phil 4:8-9; Psalm 119:63; Prov 12:26. 10 Tim 3:1-5. 11 1 Peter 1:13, 5:10. 12 Luke 11:4. 13 In the Bible, liberal in older translations means open-hearted, open-handed, and generous. See for example 2 Cor 8:9, 9:7; Heb 6:10, 13:16; Psalm 32:8, 112:9; Rom 12:8; Gal 6:10; Lev 25:35; Deut 15:11. 14 Prov 11:25, 22:9. 15 From the hymn “Jesus Lives, and So Shall I” by Christian F. Gellert (1757).