Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us.
And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement
as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Romans 15:4 NLT

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Hope

• is ‘a confident expectation of good’
• is what keeps you moving each day through your struggles and trials
• is what allows us to believe in big dreams

Can you imagine a world without hope?  Maybe a whole world is hard to imagine…how about just one person?  Have you ever seen a person who has lost all hope?  One look into their eyes and you can see much pain.  It hurts even the beholder.  And although we, ourselves, may have hope we do have something in common with those that do not.

We both must wait.  Waiting goes hand in hand with hope.

Sometimes it’s a matter of seconds…sometimes it’s a matter of years.  Hope can be lost.  Hope can be found.  We can temporarily lose sight of the hope that we hold.  Hope is something that we have to focus on; something that is actually intentional.  Hope helps you keep a smile on your face when it’s raining.  Hope is a matter of perspective, but also, knowing that we are loved by the Creator of the world who only wants good for us.  With God, the hope we have has a real chance of actualizing.  Otherwise, we are just wishing for good things to happen.

God has promised us many things in His Word, and because of this it is possible for us to have hope. Our verse this week says,

… And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement
as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

However, we have to know His promises and believe His promises in order for true hope to take root in our lives.  With hope comes peace and with peace comes joy.  I feel these three things all go hand in hand.  Without one, you are missing a piece of the puzzle.  To me, hope is the foundation for peace and joy.

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Lord, help us to keep our eyes on You that our hearts may overflow with the hope that you provide us each day, and the hope that you provided us when Jesus Christ died on the Cross for us.  Help us to stay focused on You and all that You stand for.  Let us know Your Word and Your promises.  Let us believe Your Word and Your promises.  Thank You for providing us with all the necessary tools that we need in order to have hope.  In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.