REAL Hope

I’ve learned how to put a powerful tool to work in my life lately, one that I didn’t always relate to God: hope. As a teenager I learned through life experiences not to put my hope in everything because as the book of Proverbs says “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick.” But that’s not the whole scripture; the second half reads “but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” I think a lot of people share the feelings I had as a teenager, but it’s so critical to differentiate the hope of this world from the hope of God.

Romans 5:3-5 says “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” The word hope in this scripture from the original Greek means “favorable and confident expectation, a forward look with assurance.” This passage tells me that true hope is found after tribulation, after patience and after experience.

If you put your hope in man you will eventually be disappointed, but if you put your hope in God you won’t ever be let down. The Amplified Bible puts Romans 5:5 this way: “Such hope NEVER disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” So many times we incorrectly judge God by what we see in man. You may have been hurt by someone in your church or by someone who says they’re a Christian and then assume God is that way too. That is a VERY costly mistake because while we are created in the image of God, we are still made of imperfect human flesh. Jesus was the only man who ever lived without sinning. The same is true if you’ve put your hope in someone only to be let down. Don’t allow yourself to become so callous and hard that you assume God will let you down the way man did.

Psalm 119:71 rings so true: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” In time of affliction, hope is essential! Many times God allows hard and uncomfortable circumstances into our lives because without them our faith would never be tried, and we wouldn’t learn anything. If you’re a teacher, how do you know whether or not your students have learned the material you’re trying to teach them? You know they’ve learned if they pass the test. The same is true with God. You’re responsible for everything you learn in God, and don’t be so naïve to think that a test will never come. And if you’re going through a time in your life when you feel that God is not speaking to you, just remember that the teacher never talks during the test! It is in these times when your hope in God will carry you through.

Hope is intertwined closely with faith, and when the two are used together they produce peace. Hope in God is not simply wishing for something, thinking maybe it’ll happen and maybe it won’t but rather it is CONFIDENT EXPECATION. When you are in covenant with God, through the Blood of Jesus and through paying your tithe, and when you’re standing on the Word of God, you can have that hope, that confident expectation. Pastor Rod Parsley always says, “Expectancy is the breeding ground for miracles.” If you need a miracle in your life today, whether it’s in your home or your finances or your body, EXPECT it and HOPE for it. I remember the little magnet my mom had on our refrigerator growing up; it said, “Expect a miracle!” Don’t let the enemy lie to you and steal your hope (and he can only do that when YOU let him).

You need to determine in your heart that God is real and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). What He said will come to pass because His Word cannot return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). Stand up for yourself against the attacks from the enemy on your hope. Fight the good fight, and watch God as He comes through for you. Your journey to your promise will be much smoother when you bring along HOPE.