Are You In Search Of Hope?

“The substance and sustenance of hope depend on the ground upon which it is based.“

Wisdom Grace

In Search of Hope

Hope – generally defined – is an expectation in belief and attitude of the fulfillment of something desired. In its broadest sense, hope refers to the expectation of some favourable outcome in the future.  Biblically speaking, it is a scripture-based sense, belief, attitude, or feeling that makes a person to trust in a God-based positive outcome.

Hope plays an integral part in our very existence, particularly when things are not going well for us. During difficult times or circumstances, we live in hopes that things will improve – for us, others, and our world.  It is basic human nature, and a wonderful trait indeed, that we are constantly hoping – for a bright future for ourselves, for our relatives, and for our world. We all have this capacity – and experience – a longing for something and confidence in someone or something. In all of our day-to-day experiences, encounters, and transactions, there is usually a hope that our condition will change for the better, or at the very least not get worse.  

This innate hope – in a world full of challenges, circumstances, and uncertainties – is what keeps us going at bleak times – a hope for the better when we’re not sure what the future holds. Many feel despair at our world’s seemingly unpleasant and hopeless state. Consider just a few of the negatives which surround us daily:

• the fear of physical death and disease or sickness
• government and media deception
• economic disparity
• resultant self-destructive behaviours

These and other incidents and realities in our lives have all contributed to the despair we feel.  At the same time, however – almost miraculously – they have also been responsible for an ongoing, almost indestructible hope for the better, for improvement, for true joy.

The unexpected – or even the expected but unwanted – uncertainties that occur so frequently in our lives cause us to search for hope. Sadly, however – for many, hope is not secured in anything specific. It is more like grasping at straws when we feel that everything and every one has failed us. Hope for many is a desperate search for something or someone:

• Strong
• Substantial
• Satisfactory
• Stable
• Safe
• Secure

But hope in the material things around us is futile.  People are giving up hope in the media for trusted news of what’s happening in our world today. People are giving up hope in the government for change for their wellbeing and welfare. We conceive and capture the future with a mixture of fear and faith – and cling to our hope, one that we see is unsatisfactory.

The Nature of Hope

Are you in search of hope? If so, on what ground(s) are you looking to have hopes and hold your hopes in? 

The ground – the foundation for everything – holds, preserves, sustains, secures, prolongs, nourishes, nurtures, and empowers everything that is built on it. This same principle also applies to what your hope is built on.

Therefore, the next question you must answer for yourself is: what is the grounding for your hopes?

This vital question asks you about the source of your hope and the subject of your hope, which will determine the substance and strength of your hope for life presently and in the future. What holds your hope; what are your hopes tethered to? Think about this. 

The substance and sustenance of your hope depend on the source and subject of your hope. The source of hope speaks of that which you hope for. The source of your hopes has to be a powerful one. It’s what we place our confidence, trust, and faith in – its foundation. The strength and effectiveness of your hope will depend on its source and subject.

This is where it gets important – the critical source for all of our hope.

The biblical view of hope points to God as hope’s source, subject, and sustainer. God is the core substance and strength of our hope in every situation or condition. When times are good or bad, we can call on God in prayer and through His Word, we can expect His help to come through for us always. We have a trusted source of hope – the Bible – which contains the promises of God to us now and in the future. We have a trusted subject of hope, Jesus, our present hope, and final hope. The substance and strength of our hope as Christians are grounded in God only because God is the source of our hope and the subject matter in which we hope.  We must turn and face to the fact that God is everything. 

The Solid Rock of Hope 

To some people, hope is simply a vague wish that something or anything will happen positively or negatively, without any assurance. Many people have concluded that there is no concrete reason to hope in anything, and that hope is just an illusion. This amounts to hopelessness which doesn’t look forward to a better future. The only true hope can be our faith in God. Anything less is merely confidence in something or someone, which will fail and cause disappointment, especially when placed in the people, systems, or things we see around us. 

Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV) 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Our hope as Christians is different from the world. It is not an assumption that something positive will happen based on wishful thinking; we have strong evidence of our source and subject of hope guaranteeing us an expected end because God promises us that, “for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

We were once without hope, just as the world is without the Lord of hope. The Bible relates a world without hope or a person without hope is a world without God or a person without God: “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12)

We can rejoice in the fact that, as children of God on earth, the hope we have and hold onto is firm and unique from the hope of the world. Our hope in God gives us something to look forward to in the future: a better life now and throughout eternity. Our hope in God also gives us someone to look forward to in the future – Jesus, the soon-coming King, who will take back the world and rule it with moral principles, peace, and prosperity. Therefore, as Christians, the basis of hope lies in the promises of Almighty God and his greatest gift to us – Jesus.

As Christians, we have the assurance and certainty of a promising hope in the future when we long for it through faith, rather than fear. The world without Jesus hopes for the future in fear. A person following Jesus hopes for the future in faith, knowing that He whom we hope in is faithful, trustworthy, reliable, and powerful to accomplish what he has promised us.

As Christians, we are encouraged to wait for and rest in God hopefully and expectantly. Therefore, in times of trouble, we rest assured by hoping in the Lord, who will come to the rescue and turn things around.

Psalms 25:21 (NKJV) 21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.

Come to the Lord of Hope 

When the issues of life overwhelm you; when you are feeling sick and tired; when you are in search of hope; if you are looking for hope that is:

• Solid
• Substantial
• Satisfactory
• Stable
• Strong
• Sure

…look no further. The answer is in Jesus, our solid rock of hope.  It is such a simple, beautiful solution.

Psalms 61:2 (NKJV) 2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

The simple, beautiful answer is that Christianity is a faith that offers hope to the world and that Christ can provide you with sure and secure hope in your own life. The hope that Christianity offers is securely and surely based upon the promises of God, and the accomplished purpose of Jesus. The promises of God are what we hope for in the Scriptures. The person and purpose of Jesus are whom we hope in because he is the Lord of Hope. The promises of God have proven to be dependable, trustworthy, and true. There is hope in Jesus, as He is the way to a better life in the future, and He shows the way to get us there. No matter how dark our present world seems, there is the light of hope in Christ. People need this hope, which is placed in a singular glorious individual, who actually walked our earth, named Jesus – and the promises of God, the father of us all.

Christian hope offers security for the future and meaningful living for the present.

Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

ARE YOU IN SEARCH OF HOPE?

“The substance and sustenance of hope depend on the ground upon which it is based.” – Wisdom Grace.

In Search of Hope

Hope – generally defined – is an expectation in belief and attitude of the fulfillment of something desired. In its broadest sense, hope refers to the expectation of some favourable outcome in the future. Biblically speaking, it is a scripture-based sense, belief, attitude, or feeling that makes a person to trust in a God-based positive outcome. 

Hope plays an integral part in our very existence, particularly when things are not going well for us. During difficult times or circumstances, we live in hopes that things will improve – for us, others, and our world. It is basic human nature, and a wonderful trait indeed, that we are constantly hoping – for a bright future for ourselves, for our relatives, and for our world. We all have this capacity – and experience – a longing for something and confidence in someone or something. In all of our day-to-day experiences, encounters, and transactions, there is usually a hope that our condition will change for the better, or at the very least not get worse.  

This innate hope – in a world full of challenges, circumstances, and uncertainties – is what keeps us going at bleak times – a hope for the better when we’re not sure what the future holds. Many feel despair at our world’s seemingly unpleasant and hopeless state. Consider just a few of the negatives which surround us daily:

• the fear of physical death and disease or sickness
• government and media deception
• economic disparity
• resultant self-destructive behaviours

These and other incidents and realities in our lives have all contributed to the despair we feel. At the same time, however – almost miraculously – they have also been responsible for an ongoing, almost indestructible hope for the better, for improvement, and for true joy.

The unexpected – or even the expected but unwanted – uncertainties that occur so frequently in our lives cause us to search for hope. Sadly, however – for many, hope is not secured in anything specific. It is more like grasping at straws when we feel that everything and every one has failed us. Hope for many is a desperate search for something or someone:

• Strong
• Substantial
• Satisfactory
• Stable
• Safe
• Secure

But hope in the material things around us is futile. People are giving up hope in the media for trusted news of what’s happening in our world today. People are giving up hope in the government for change for their wellbeing and welfare. We conceive and capture the future with a mixture of fear and faith – and cling to our hope, one that we see is unsatisfactory.

The Nature of Hope

Are you in search of hope? If so, on what ground(s) are you looking to have hopes and hold your hopes in? 

The ground – the foundation for everything – holds, preserves, sustains, secures, prolongs, nourishes, nurtures, and empowers everything that is built on it. This same principle also applies to what your hope is built on. 

Therefore, the next question you must answer for yourself is: what is the grounding for your hopes? 

This vital question asks you about the source of your hope and the subject of your hope, which will determine the substance and strength of your hope for life presently and in the future. What holds your hope; what are your hopes tethered to? Think about this. 

The substance and sustenance of your hope depend on the source and subject of your hope. The source of hope speaks of that which you hope for. The source of your hopes has to be a powerful one. It’s what we place our confidence, trust, and faith in – its foundation. The strength and effectiveness of your hope will depend on its source and subject. 

This is where it gets important – the critical source for all of our hope.

The biblical view of hope points to God as hope’s source, subject, and sustainer. God is the core substance and strength of our hope in every situation or condition. When times are good or bad, we can call on God in prayer and through His Word, we can expect His help to come through for us always. We have a trusted source of hope – the Bible – which contains the promises of God to us now and in the future. We have a trusted subject of hope, Jesus, our present hope, and final hope. The substance and strength of our hope as Christians are grounded in God only because God is the source of our hope and the subject matter in which we hope. 

We must turn and face the fact that God is everything. 

The Solid Rock of Hope 

To some people, hope is simply a vague wish that something or anything will happen positively or negatively, without any assurance. Many people have concluded that there is no concrete reason to hope in anything, and that hope is just an illusion. This amounts to hopelessness which doesn’t look forward to a better future. The only true hope can be our faith in God. Anything less is merely confidence in something or someone, which will fail and cause disappointment, especially when placed in the people, systems, or things we see around us. 

Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV) 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Our hope as Christians is different from the world. It is not an assumption that something positive will happen based on wishful thinking; we have strong evidence of our source and subject of hope guaranteeing us an expected end because God promises us that, “for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

We were once without hope, just as the world is without the Lord of hope. The Bible relates a world without hope or a person without hope is a world without God or a person without God: “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12)

We can rejoice in the fact that, as children of God on earth, the hope we have and hold onto is firm and unique from the hope of the world. Our hope in God gives us something to look forward to in the future: a better life now and throughout eternity. Our hope in God also gives us someone to look forward to in the future – Jesus, the soon-coming King, who will take back the world and rule it with moral principles, peace, and prosperity. Therefore, as Christians, the basis of hope lies in the promises of Almighty God and his greatest gift to us – Jesus.

As Christians, we have the assurance and certainty of a promising hope in the future when we long for it through faith, rather than fear. The world without Jesus hopes for the future in fear. A person following Jesus hopes for the future in faith, knowing that He whom we hope in is faithful, trustworthy, reliable, and powerful to accomplish what he has promised us.

As Christians, we are encouraged to wait for and rest in God hopefully and expectantly. Therefore, in times of trouble, we rest assured by hoping in the Lord, who will come to the rescue and turn things around.

Come to the Lord of Hope 

When the issues of life overwhelm you; when you are feeling sick and tired; when you are in search of hope; if you are looking for hope that is:

• Solid
• Substantial
• Satisfactory
• Stable
• Strong
• Sure

…look no further. The answer is in Jesus, our solid rock of hope. It is such a simple, beautiful solution.

Psalms 61:2 (NKJV) 2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

The simple, beautiful answer is that Christianity is a faith that offers hope to the world and that Christ can provide you with sure and secure hope in your own life. The hope that Christianity offers is securely and surely based upon the promises of God, and the accomplished purpose of Jesus. The promises of God are what we hope for in the Scriptures. The person and purpose of Jesus are whom we hope in because he is the Lord of Hope. The promises of God have proven to be dependable, trustworthy, and true. There is hope in Jesus, as He is the way to a better life in the future, and He shows the way to get us there. No matter how dark our present world seems, there is the light of hope in Christ. People need this hope, which is placed in a singular glorious individual, who actually walked our earth, named Jesus – and the promises of God, the father of us all. 

Christian hope offers security for the future and meaningful living for the present.

Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Contributor
By Wisdom Grace
Ministry