Hope. Everyone needs it. Everyone puts hope in something, or someone. However, hope doesn’t always last, because so many situations are fluid, and people, despite our best intentions, tend to let each other down. It’s not a pleasant fact of life, but it is a fact, nonetheless.

            One of the wonderful truths of a life surrendered to Jesus Christ is the hope which comes with it. This is not hope in the sense that one “hopes” something good will happen; this is both a calm assurance and a convinced attitude that God is going to work toward our best interests. The Psalmist expressed this hope when, after great suffering, he wrote, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God” (Ps. 42:5). For the person who trusts God, no difficulty in life is enough to make them lose hope that He is still acting on their behalf.

            One of the most well-known verses on hope is Isaiah 40:31, which speaks to times of great struggle and fatigue, when it says that those who put their hope in the LORD “will renew their strength”, “soar” like eagles, “run and not grow weary” and “walk and not be faint”. In other words, even in the most difficult of times, their hope in God will be proven effective by His support of them.

            In fact, it is fair to say that God uses difficulties to grow the hope of His people. Romans chapter five speaks to this in the first few verses, when it says that suffering produces perseverance, character, and finally, hope. Verse five takes it further in stating, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” The Greek word for “disappoint” means to disgrace or confound. Stated simply, it means the Christian will never find a reason to regret following Christ, due to the spiritual resources we have through Him.

            Are you looking for hope that doesn’t run out? Look no further than a life surrendered to Jesus Christ!

Mark Nickles is a husband, father of three, and a pastor in Northeastern Oklahoma. Copyright, Mark A. Nickles.