Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope is also a feeling of trust.

If you live in the world long enough, you’ll find there’s an enemy of hope. Unbelief is the greatest enemy of hope. The voice that cries out, “Nothing good is going to happen to you. Life will always be this way. Nothing is ever going to change. You have nothing to look forward to. God is not listening to you; He won’t come through for you.” All of those statements are geared towards destroying hope.

If we are not hopeless, we can have misplaced hope. Some place hope in a spouse or family, friends, bank accounts, pastors, political party, the government, their appearance, abilities, or themselves. The problem with hope placed in people or things is that it always leads to disappointment. There is nothing more secure than a relationship with God.

God is filled with hope. He has great things to say. His Word is filled with promises to deposit hope.

Here are some sweet promises from God’s Word:

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am, John 14:2-3.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus, Phil 4:6-7.

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;…If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:11,13.

It’s challenging to be hopeful in this world. It is challenging to be hopeful if you’ve had a series of disappointments. It’s challenging to be hopeful when circumstances don’t align with God’s goodness. Here’s what I can say…

Don’t give up on God. God is 100% faithful. He cannot lie. He is good. He keeps His promises. He has given us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee that we are His. We have a sure hope, not in something, but in Someone! My prayer is that we cling to the One who is secure. He is our strength, hope, & joy!