Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23, NIV).
Golfers play a game where only hope keeps them going, at least sometimes. It is hard and unpredictable, and many times, all the hours of practice and hard work seem like a waste of time.
Those who are the most successful don’t lose hope just because bad stuff is happening to them. They understand that success comes and goes. They know that if they hold on to the ideas they have committed to, their work will be rewarded at some point. That hope sustains them.
Our hope as Believers is much the same. Everywhere we look, bad things are happening, and those very things can increase our anxiety about the future. Sickness, financial uncertainty, failing relationships, and eventual death work very hard to take away hope. What is it about the life we live as Believers that helps make us hopeful for a better future? What is our hope in when everything else is falling apart around us?
As Believers, we hope for a better day, a better world, a better life, and an eternal future. On what do we base these hopes? It is certainly not based on the world in which we live. The vicissitudes of life often conspire to erase any hope we might cling to.
His resurrection from the dead demonstrates that he was, in fact, the Son of GodIn truth, our assurance of better things is based on the words of a man named Jesus, who made many promises. Why would we believe anything he said? Because he did the one thing that none of us are capable of doing. He was crucified on a cross, and three days later, he rose from the dead. He came back to life against all human expectations. His resurrection verifies that his many promises are made by the ultimate source of truth—himself. That’s the hope all of us can cling to. Because he lives and has fulfilled all the promises of our Creator, we can place all our trust and hope in what he has told us.
Jesus is faithful to his promises. He has promised us many things for this life and the life to come. The Word of God spells these out for us, but the resurrection gives us the primary reason to believe they will come to pass. Jesus is the hope of the world. What he has spoken will come to pass. He is faithful.
Our hope is not based on our circumstances that conspire to take away our joy, but rather on the One who made the promises and who has given us hope in the most unlikely way. His resurrection from the dead demonstrates that he was, in fact, the Son of God. We can hope in a better future because the future is controlled by the Creator who made us and a Redeemer who saved us. The world is a hard place to have hope, but take heart. Jesus has overcome the world, and He is living proof that God is still in control. He is our hope.
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Linda Ballard
December 2, 2021
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